Publication
Crisis in Public Policy
In this article, Lydie Cabane and Sanneke Kuipers explore how crises affect public policy and governance. They analyse how crises disrupt regular policy-making, how policymakers respond to them, and how the increasing tendency to frame issues as crises shapes contemporary politics.
- Author
- Lydie Cabane & Sanneke Kuipers
- Date
- 14 December 2025
- Links
- Read the full article here
Crises in public policy are unexpected events that threaten societal interests or core values and require urgent decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. Such events disrupt routine policy processes and force policymakers to respond quickly, often without complete information. Crisis management therefore involves rapid problem-solving under pressure, while political leaders must also navigate the political consequences of crises, including blame, accountability, and reputational risks.
At the same time, crises can strongly influence policy development. Because they attract public and political attention and expose weaknesses in existing systems, crises can open opportunities for reform and policy change. However, crisis-driven reforms are not always lasting; policy responses may involve temporary adjustments, incremental adaptation, or a return to the pre-crisis situation.
The authors also highlight the growing 'crisisification' of public policy, where policymakers increasingly frame diverse societal problems as crises and develop specialised crisis-management tools. While this may improve preparedness and responsiveness, it can also accelerate decision-making and risk undermining democratic legitimacy if crisis framing becomes too common.