{"id":{"repo_id":"brunel","oai_identifier":"oai:bura.brunel.ac.uk:2438/5291"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/brunel/oai:bura.brunel.ac.uk:2438/5291","repository":{"repo_id":"brunel","name":"University of Brunel","base_url":"https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"A cybernetic perspective on policy-making and planning in local government","abstract":"This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations.","abstract_html":"This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Floyd, Michael"],"institution":"Brunel University School of Engineering and Design PhD Theses","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Stewart, D"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1983,"date_issued":"1983","date_published":"1983","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:23:26Z","subjects":["Policy-makers","Planners","Systems approach","Nature of planning","Policy framework"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5291","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Stewart, D"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Floyd, Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2011-06-14T12:30:16Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2011-06-14T12:30:16Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1983"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Brunel University School of Engineering and Design PhD Theses"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Policy-makers","Planners","Systems approach","Nature of planning","Policy framework"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5291"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A cybernetic perspective on policy-making and planning in local government"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Stewart, D"],"dc:creator":["Floyd, Michael"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2011-06-14T12:30:16Z"],"dc:date.available":["2011-06-14T12:30:16Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1983"],"dc:description":["This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5291"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Brunel University School of Engineering and Design PhD Theses"],"dc:subject":["Policy-makers","Planners","Systems approach","Nature of planning","Policy framework"],"dc:title":["A cybernetic perspective on policy-making and planning in local government"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:23:26Z"}