Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
3. government action (e.g. delivering services)
4. advocacy (e.g. educating, persuading)
5. networking (e.g. cultivating and using relationships to influence behaviour)
6. narratives (e.g. using storytelling and communication – including public
advertising)
7. behavioural economics (e.g. using economic incentives to induce behaviour
change,or‘nudging’asithascometobeknown). 28
It should be noted that in the real world these categories often overlap and a mix
of instruments is generally required. For instance, governments might elect to use
a form of direct service delivery (government action) to achieve policy aims; the
delivery of services requires statutory authority (law), is funded by government
appropriations (money) and employs ‘nudge’ strategies (behavioural economics),
advertising (narratives) and public education (advocacy) to achieve the government’s
policy aims.
Government policies aimed at reducing the harms from the use of tobacco
products provide a good example; they employ all of the instruments named above:
1. Money: the collection of excise tax on cigarette sales to provide a source of
funds for medical research and for non-government organisations involved in
anti-smoking programs.
2. Legislation/regulation: setting age restrictions on the purchase of tobacco products,
banning smoking in public places and restricting the sale, advertising,
distribution and packaging of tobacco products.
3. Government action: funding the delivery of preventative health services aimed
at assisting smokers to quit.
4. Advocacy: there have been multiple education campaigns on the health risks
associated with tobacco and how to quit.
5. Networking: successive governments have entered into partnerships with
representative bodies, such as the Australian Medical Association, and nongovernment
organisations advocating smoking reduction.
6. Narratives: anti-smoking campaigns utilising various media and featuring
testimonials by former smokers and/or portraying the health and other impacts
ofsmokingonrealpeople.
7. Behavioural economics: levying excise taxes to increase the purchase price of
tobacco products and/or offering financial incentives to quit smoking.
It is worth noting that the choice of policy instrument is all too often a function
of familiarity, as opposed to optimal fitness for purpose (in other words, policy
makers stick to what they know). Other factors influencing the choice of instruments
include:
28 Althaus, Bridgman and Davis 2018.
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