This paper focuses on identifying and classifying sources of uncertainty facing public decisionmakers. To understand the context of uncertainty this study reviews the decision-making literature. The study contains an empirical study based on a survey ...
This paper focuses on identifying and classifying sources of uncertainty facing public decisionmakers. To understand the context of uncertainty this study reviews the decision-making literature. The study contains an empirical study based on a survey of public servants, with that survey containing questions concerning various aspects of decision-making, especially the uncertainty surrounding decisions. The results showed that important sources of uncertainty include a lack of information and conflict between seemingly equally attractive alternatives. Such conflicts tend to be resolved in local governments with keen attention to potential gains and losses, including those for the decisionmaker. Moreover, the results point to the need for enhancing policy analysis capabilities and including a role for professional policy analysts.