{"id":2851431,"date":"2025-06-20T05:40:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T10:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/?p=2851431"},"modified":"2025-06-30T07:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T12:32:08","slug":"between-commitment-and-inertia-lessons-on-bureaucratic-resistance-ott-conference-2025-keynote-by-damien-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/articles\/between-commitment-and-inertia-lessons-on-bureaucratic-resistance-ott-conference-2025-keynote-by-damien-king\/","title":{"rendered":"Between commitment and inertia: Lessons on bureaucratic resistance \u2014 OTT Conference 2025 Keynote by Damien King"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In a gripping and introspective keynote, Damien King dissected the harsh realities of influencing policy from the perspective of a seasoned practitioner. Using a powerful case study from Jamaica\u2019s environmental sector, he took the audience through the lifecycle of a promising policy initiative, from ministerial commitment to total implementation failure. The talk, both analytical and laced with sharp wit, challenged think tanks to move beyond the allure of ministerial applause and into the murky, often resistant world of bureaucracy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the video below!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Damien King: Lessons on Bureaucratic Resistance | OTT Conference 2025 Keynote Address\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=u5gvkrbvwgq250f.html frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A picture-perfect beginning<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Damien opened by recalling what he described as the \u201capogee of success\u201d in think tank influence. On 18 November 2018, at precisely 7:34 pm, CAPRI launched its report <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Beyond PET Bottles and Plastic Lights: Fixing the Environmental Regulatory Framework<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Present at the event was the Minister of Environment, who immediately proclaimed that the report answered every question he had about his portfolio. He pledged to implement all of the recommendations and, just four days later, called for a meeting with his top bureaucrats and the think tank to kickstart execution.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At that moment, Damien felt triumphant. \u201cI could go home and die,\u201d he joked. \u201cIs that not the very summit of success?\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The pyramid of influence<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To frame the lessons learned, Damien introduced a conceptual model he called the <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pyramid of Influence<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. At its apex sits the policymaker, the individual with the authority to enact decisions. Direct engagement with this figure is necessary, but not sufficient. Below them lies the \u201cpolicy constituency\u201d, interested individuals and groups, or \u201cpolicy wonks\u201d, who can become advocates when armed with the right information. Deeper still are the general public and discourse shapers, often overlooked but essential in creating the atmosphere for change.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Think tanks, Damien argued, must seed public debate with non-sensational issues like fiscal transparency or the state of children in public institutions. \u201cNobody needs a think tank to discuss crime or poverty,\u201d he quipped. \u201cBut they do need us to get them talking about the things that don\u2019t trend on buses.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">He underscored that think tanks must elevate discourse, move debates from opinion to evidence, and expose their own methodologies to promote accountability. Just as importantly, they must model public engagement; visible participation begets broader involvement.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Communications: The real challenge<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to Damien, research is \u201crelatively easy.\u201d The real challenge lies in embedding ideas in people\u2019s minds. He stressed the critical role of communications, urging think tanks to allocate dedicated staff, even if there are only three people in the entire organisation. \u201cIf one isn\u2019t doing comms, you\u2019re wasting your time,\u201d he said flatly.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Communications, he added, must be strategic: identify targets broadly, select the right channels, time the release to fit media cycles, and tailor content to resonate with multiple audiences. A poorly timed launch or an unclear message can squander even the most rigorous research.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stakeholder engagement: Give them ownership<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">One of the most important principles Damien highlighted was stakeholder ownership, particularly among politicians. \u201cPolicymakers don\u2019t want to be told what to do,\u201d he observed. \u201cThey want to stand at the podium, beat their chests, and look important.\u201d Thus, think tanks must engage them early, speak their language, and allow them to present recommendations as their own. In short, influence requires tact as much as evidence.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This strategy worked initially. After the ministerial commitment and first meeting, CAPRI was asked to recommend which three policies to begin implementing. There were ten in total. The momentum was palpable.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bureaucratic inertia: Where good policy goes to die<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The story continues.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Then came the reckoning. Seven years after the minister\u2019s public commitment, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">none<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> of the ten recommendations had been implemented. Not one.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demian described the reasons in detail, offering a sobering diagnosis of bureaucratic resistance. Civil servants, he explained, operate under entirely different incentive structures than elected officials or think tanks. Their motivations include self-preservation, power consolidation, and sometimes the concealment of inefficiencies or corruption. Bureaucrats often respond to new ideas with refrains like \u201cwe\u2019ve tried this before,\u201d \u201ca process is already underway,\u201d or \u201cit\u2019s too complex to implement now.\u201d These aren\u2019t just excuses; they\u2019re survival strategies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The deeper problem, Damien argued, is cultural. Bureaucrats view policy through the lens of institutional continuity and internal processes. \u201cThey are inherently anti-change,\u201d he said. And unlike ministers, they do not rotate every few years; they are the enduring actors, the ones who determine long-term policy trajectories.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Understanding bureaucrats: A call for ethnographic intelligence<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Faced with this reality, Damien urged think tanks to invest in \u201cbureaucratic ethnography\u201d, a systematic study of how different departments and agencies function, how information flows, who holds influence, and how decisions are truly made. Every ministry, he noted, operates differently, and effective influence requires tailored strategies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Think tanks must begin engaging civil servants as early as they engage ministers. Treat them as partners, not executors. Build relationships, understand their needs, and align recommendations with their institutional interests. \u201cFeed their power,\u201d Damien advised. \u201cCater to their incentives.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Policy implementation is a multi-stakeholder endeavour<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Damien argued that real implementation requires engaging all levels of the policy ecosystem: decision-makers, relevant publics, civil society, and the technocracy. \u201cUnless you get all three right,\u201d he said, \u201cyour policy is not going to fly.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This insight is especially urgent in systems where ministerial turnover is high. In the seven years since the 2018 report launch, Jamaica\u2019s environmental portfolio saw three different ministers. Meanwhile, the same bureaucrats remained. This, Damien said, is not an exception; it is the rule.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Conclusion: Between the Apogee and the Abyss<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Damien King\u2019s keynote was a masterclass in realpolitik for think tanks. Celebrated report launches and ministerial soundbites are seductive, but insufficient. True influence, he contended, lies not at the apex of the pyramid, but in navigating its full depth, from public discourse to civil service mechanics.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">He closed with a challenge: think tanks must expand their theory of change, sharpen their communication strategies, and take bureaucratic dynamics seriously. Only then can they bridge the yawning gap between commitment and implementation.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This summary was generated with the support of AI tools<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a gripping and introspective keynote, Damien King dissected the harsh realities of influencing policy from the perspective of a seasoned practitioner. Using a powerful case study from Jamaica\u2019s environmental sector, he took the audience through the lifecycle of a promising policy initiative, from ministerial commitment to total implementation failure. The talk, both analytical and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1493,233,294,646],"class_list":["post-2851431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-capri","tag-impact","tag-influence","tag-political-economy","article-types-case-study","article-types-opinion","article-types-video","series-ott-conference-2025-think-tanks-and-impact","theme-better-informed-policy","theme-communications","theme-funding-and-support-think-tanks","theme-governance-and-management","theme-understanding-think-tanks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2851431"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2851670,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851431\/revisions\/2851670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2851431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthinktanks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2851431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}