DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.161673.2 ISSN: 2046-1402

Administrative Expertise and Policy Agenda Setting: Evidence from PhD-holding Government Officials Responsible for Science and Technology Policy in Japan

Megumi Yuno
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Background Studies of administrative expertise based on principal-agent theory have traditionally conceptualized bureaucrats as agents charged with realizing politician’s preferences. More recently, scholars of policy agenda setting have examined the early stage of the policy process and have redefined the role of bureaucratic expertise. Situated within the literature that draws on bounded rationality as an analytical framework, this study how examines the expertise of PhD-holding officials influences policy agenda setting and provides insights into the future utilization of PhD holders in government. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey of government officials responsible for science and technology policy at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The questionnaire focused on comprehensive coordination, policymaking, and other general administrative duties. We analyzed descriptive statistics based on the perceptual data collected through the survey and tested hypotheses derived from prior studies on administrative expertise using a negative binomial regression model with robust standard errors. Results The survey revealed no significant differences between PhD-holding officials and others in their perceptions of coordination tasks or the importance of evidence; however, regarding policymaking, PhD-holding officials showed a notable tendency to find greater fulfillment in formulating new policies. Furthermore, negative binomial regression analysis using the number of new policy proposals as the dependent variable indicated that PhD status was positively associated with the policy proposal rate, even after adjusting for years of service. Conclusions This study suggests that the administrative expertise of PhD-holding officials is associated with a higher rate of new policy proposals, indicating that doctoral degree holders may influence policy agenda setting. The findings imply that utilizing PhD-holding officials in public institutions may contribute to policy innovation, as they possess not only specialized scientific knowledge but also analytical and implementation capacities.

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