What also goes on in these public-policy schools is research on improving decisionmaking methods, whatever the policy matters at hand. In particular, decisionmaking under conditions of deep uncertainty, when Mark’s X is fully aware of the unknownness or unknowability of the unknowns.
Donald Rumsfeld was not talking nonsense. He’s a big fan of R.D. Laing:
If I don’t know I don’t knowI think I know
If I don’t know I know
I think I don’t know
Public-policy students are also taught to be aware of hindsight bias. And of the use and misuse of metaphorical thinking in policymaking.
Typical academic navel gazing, of no real consequence.