Policy wonk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Policy wonk is a term of art of politics, meaning an expert with a detailed knowledge of current or potential government policies, administrative matters, and the effects of policy and programs.
It entered general usage in the 1990s during the administration of U.S. president Bill Clinton. Admirers and detractors alike described the Clinton administration as a haven for policy wonks, Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore first among equals.
Admirers saw Clinton's wonkish tendencies as a welcome change from what they regarded as the detached, ideologically driven leadership of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Detractors believed that Clinton's obsession with policy details caused him to lose sight of larger goals, and to spend valuable time agonizing over minutiae that should have been left to staff members.
[edit] References
- Rich, Andrew (2004). Think Tanks, Public Policy, and the Politics of Expertise. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83029-X.
- Ricci, David M (1994). The Transformation of American Politics: The New Washington and the Rise of Think Tanks. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-06123-4.
- Smith, James A (1993). Idea Brokers: Think Tanks And The Rise Of The New Policy Elite, Reprint edition, Free Press. ISBN 0-02-929555-6.
