From Management Sciences to Policy Sciences

Yehezkel Dror

Expert InsightsPublished 1970

Under pressure of complex social issues, efforts are under way to utilize management sciences for their resolution. These efforts cannot succeed because of the limitations of management sciences, including neglect of institutional contexts, inability to handle political needs, limited innovation capacity, dependence on quantification, and ignorance of strategy choices. The basic frame of management sciences can contribute much to policymaking, but to do so it must be enhanced by a broader orientation and method. Step one involves development of policy analysis as a method for handling complex policy issues. Step two involves improvement of the policymaking system through changes in processes, structures and personnel. In order to succeed in those two steps in enhancement, a "scientific revolution" seems necessary: a new set of paradigms is needed oriented toward directed development of humanity. The emerging supradiscipline of policy sciences provides these new paradigms, with management sciences closely related.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1970
  • Pages: 53
  • Document Number: P-4375

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Dror, Yehezkel, From Management Sciences to Policy Sciences. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1970. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4375.html.
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