A wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete,

contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. The use of the
term"wicked"here has come to denote resistance to resolutions, rather than evil . Another
Definition is " a problem whose social complexity means that it has no determinable stopping
point".Moreover,because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of wicked
problem may reveal or create other problems.
Characteristics:
Ritteland Webber's1973 formulation of wicked problems in social policy planning specified
some characteristics:

1 . There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.

2 . Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
3 . Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false,but better or worse.
4 . There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
5 . Every solution to a wicked problem is a " one-shot operation";becausethereisno
opportunity to learn by trial and errors,every attempt counts significantly.

Conklin later generalized the concept of problem wickedness to areas other than planning and
policy;Conklin's defining characteristics are:
1 . The problem is not understood until after the formulation of a solution.
2 . Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not right or wrongful.
4. Every wicked problem is essentially novel
Examples
Classic examples of wicked problems include economic,environmental,and political issues.
A problem whose solution requires a great number of people to change their mindsets and
behavior is likely to be a wicked problem . Therefore,many standard examples of wicked
Problems come from the areas of public planning and policy . These include global climate
change, natural hazards,healthcare, the AIDS epidemic ,pandemic influenza,international
Drug trafficking,nuclear weapons,nuclear energy,waste and social injustice.
Strategies to tackle wicked problems:

Wicked problems cannot be tackled by the traditional approach in which problems are defined, analysed
and solved in sequential steps .The main reason for this is that there is no clear problem definition of
wicked problems .

Nancy Roberts identified

The following strategies to cope with wicked problems:
Authoritative
These strategies seek to tame wicked problems by vesting the responsibility for solving the
problemsinthehandsofafewpeople.Thereductioninthenumberofstakeholdersreduces
problemcomplexity,asmanycompetingpointsofviewareeliminatedatthestart.The disadvantage is that
authorities and experts charged with solving the problem may not have an appreciation of all the
perspectives needed to tackle the problem.
Competitive
These strategies attempt to solve wicked problems by pitting opposing points of view against each
other,requiring parties that hold these views to come up with their preferred solutions. The advantage
of this approach is that different solutions can be weighed up against each other and the best one
chosen . The disadvantage is that this adversarial approach creates confrontational environment in
which knowledge sharing is discouraged . Consequently, the parties involved may not have an incentive
to come up with their best possible solution.
Collaborative
These strategies aim to engage all stakeholders in order to find the best possible solution for
all stakeholders . Typically these approaches involve meetings in which issues and ideas are discussed
and a common,agreedapproachisformulated.

Messes and social messes

Russell L . Ackoff wrote about complex problems as messes:"Every problem interacts with other
problems and is therefore part of a set of interrelated problems, a system of messes.

AccordingtoHorn,the defining characteristics of a social mess are:

1 . No unique " correct " view of the problems;
2 . Different views of the problem and contradictory solutions;
3 . Most problems are connected to other problems;
4 . Data are often uncertain or missing;
5 . Multiple value conflicts;

2. They play very important role in a democracy . Its primary function is to help governments understand
and make informed policy choices on issues of domestic and international Concern .They serve as an
informed and independent voice in policy debates and provide constructive forum for the exchange of
ideas and information between key stake holders in the policy formulation process.

One of democracy’s great advantages is the freedom to openly debate ideas . Think tanks help to
broaden policy debates .They raise new issues,voicealternativeviewpointsandpropose policy options .
The desire to bring knowledge to bear on governmental decision making so well informed policies based
on evidence can be formulated is the raison d’etre for Think tanks.
In a political system that has political parties with weak structures that exhibit little or no party
discipline,and state institutions that are weak and unable to perform their role effectively,the need for
policy think tanks become even more crucial . None of the two leading political parties in Ghana today
has a well equipped and functional policy research and analysis department.
The public has a healthy distrust for government and governmental decision making,thereis an
inclination on the part of all to trust the private sector to “help government to think ”.If you
haveagovernmentthatappointssomeonelikeAkuaDonkorasaseniorpresidentialadvisor, then you will
agree with me, that government really needs help to think.

Think tanks are in the business of pushing for change and they do this in two main activities.
Idea generation through research and dissemination of evidence based research results through
publications,conferences and policy dialogues . B) Action through activities like
advocacy,capacitybuilding,trainingetc.Inreality,these two activities are interconnected and often overlap.

3. Making decisions is something we do every day, so I wanted to find out more about how this process
works and what affects the choices we make. It turns out, there are some really interesting ways our
decisions are affected that I never would have guessed. Luckily, we can take action to improve most of
these.

4. Public policy is the means by which a government maintains order or addresses the needs of its
citizens through actions defined by its constitution. Public policy is generally not a tangible thing but
rather is a term used to describe a collection of laws, mandates, or regulations established through a
political process.

Because public policies are in place to address the needs of people, they are often broken down into
different categories as they relate to society. Looking at some examples of these categories should give
you an idea of how public policy fits into each area of society.

Health policy:

It covers not only the insurance mandates, but refers to all policies related to the health of a particular
group. When the AIDS epidemic emerged in the early 1980s, governments around the world had to craft
new policies around how the disease would be treated, what steps they would take to educate the
public, and so on.

Another important type of public policy in a society is its legal policy:

Legal policy covers the laws used to determine, among other things, what will be considered a crime,
how that crime will be punished, and who will be responsible for handing out the punishment. For
example, in most cases, the act of murder is a crime that is often punished with a lengthy prison
sentence or even the death penalty. The classification of murder as a crime and the common
punishment for the crime are both examples of how a government responds to a problem using public
policy.