Public Policy Failures and Fiascos

A Brief Overview of the Causes and Consequences of the Significant Impacts on Low-Income Communities

Abstract

The concepts of public policy failure and fiasco are often used in political discourse to describe the ineffectiveness of a policy, programme or action. Public policy failures are not only a failure to achieve the expected results, but often also highlight deeper social, economic or political problems. Failures can be caused by a variety of factors, including design flaws, implementation shortcomings, lack of resources or even lack of political will.