Environmental Policy: Understanding Wicked Problems, History, Science-Policy Gap and Closing it

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
TOPIC 3: Wicked environmental policy problems
A wicked policy problem is an issue that is difficult to manage either due to the changing nature
of its requirement or because of the complexity of the issue that prevents a proper solution or a
guideline that can be attributed to the problem. The conventional and scientific way of
rationalizing cannot be always used to address a social concern that is characterized with the
complex social attributes. The problems or issues which create conflict while resolving a proper
guideline for the issue and is referred to as wicked policy problems. The term is thus used to
define the wicked nature of the issue that remains unsolved through implementation of any
policy or any given framework.
The characters of a wicked problem involve certain characters that prevent the issue or
problem from being solved through a policy framework or systematic regulation. The wicked
problem mostly involves a complex socio- economic system where there are a number of
interactions among the various elements of the system and are involved in such a manner that
framing a single policy or guideline becomes difficult. Catering to the interest of the all the
stakeholders within a systematic policy becomes difficult and therefore creates a unsolvable
problem that is ‘wicked’ in nature (Brooks et al 2006).
Case example: Management of the Murray Darling Basin.
The Murray Darling Basin or the MDB is one of the complex basin systems due to its interaction
with the social and physical characters. The basin has a rich supply of resources that allow the
region to flourish. However this interaction has led to the development of certain socio economic
and environmental issues that has depleted the resources and left an impact giving rise to
complex issues that have the nature of wicked problems (Williams 2017). The several

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ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
interactions that keep happening in the MDB create a complex interaction system that requires
management through a framework, but the nature of complexity creates a wicked problem. The
problem of the Murray Darling Basin has been one of the major issues that have been troubling
the authority for nearly hundreds of years. The author rightly points out the issues in the MDB
and tries to understand the problems within the context of a wicked problem.
The readings provide an interesting fact about the nature of wicked policy problems and
the way these are dealt with in the framework of mitigation. The interesting part about
management of the MDB reveals the diversity of the Murray Darling Basin and the nature of the
problem that evolves due to the complex nature existent in the basin. The reading provides a
complete overview about the complex nature of interaction among the natural and social
elements. The paper gives an interesting view about several aspects of the MDB and the way the
basin grew into being one of the busiest regions of the country.
TOPIC 4: Understanding the History of a Policy Problem
The understanding of the history of a policy problem is essential since the history of the
problem provides a background to the problem and allows policy makers to understand the true
nature of the problem thereby enabling them to prepare a report that allows for consolidation of
the policies and addressing them accordingly. The understanding of the history of the policy
problem gives a detailed insight into the attributes of the problem and the factors that lead to
generation of such problems. The implementation of the solutions becomes easier with the
understanding of the history of the problems and the policies that have been implemented earlier
or those that have failed to mitigate the problem.