Incrementalism, Realism, and Idealism

This chapter previews the argument that incrementalism, as a method of policymaking, is both inevitable and desirable. While idealists have an optimistic view of human nature and believe transformative policy changes can be achieved in a single step, realists recognize the inevitability of conflict and the limited knowledge base available to policymakers. Ideally, policymaking would be dominated by realists on both the left and the right. The chapter concludes by providing an outline of the book and identifying a recurring theme: policies should be understood as experiments from which we can learn.

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1. Political Science, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA Michael T. Hayes

1. Michael T. Hayes

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Hayes, M.T. (2023). Incrementalism, Realism, and Idealism. In: Incrementalism and Policymaking in the USA. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38485-1_1

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• DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38485-1_1
• Published : 17 October 2023
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