Planning in the Public Sector

This chapter discusses theoretical planning issues in the British public policy process. It examines the definitions of rational planning and attempts to understand planning in organisational literature. The chapter proposes a framework of public sector planning activity. Rational ideas lead to a prescriptive top-down focus where planning is clearly identified at the beginning of things and the means to acquire organisational ends. The rational approach to administrative behaviour was based on the premise that policy can discern ‘means’ from ‘ends’ and ‘process’ from ‘output’. Public sector planning, implies some overall context of political strategy and ideological priorities. A public planning process is by definition more than a series of decisions within one organisation. In the late 1990s a new approach to public sector planning is necessary that is based on the evolving complexities of the public sector policy process. This approach must redress the balance between demand and supply based planning.