Public policy structuring incorporating reciprocal expectation analysis

• This paper proposes a method of structuring public policy by incorporating reciprocal expectation analysis.
• The proposed method visualizes the roles and perceptions of stakeholders in the public policy process.
• It derives three types of relationship among stakeholders from the feasibility analysis.
• It proposes three tests of feasibility to reach the agreement: information-sharing, bargaining, and reframing tests.

This paper proposes a method of structuring public policy by incorporating reciprocal expectation analysis. The proposed method is characterized by three components: identification of the problem structure perceived by stakeholders using cognitive maps, policy structuring analysis with a value–driver matrix and a reciprocal expectation matrix, and feasibility analysis of agreements among the stakeholders. The three types of relationship among stakeholders are derived from the feasibility analysis, which are “Dosho-imu”, “Isho-imu”, and “Domu”. Three tests of feasibility to reach the agreement are then proposed: “information-sharing test”, “bargaining test”, and “reframing test”. A case study is presented, applying the method to strategic transportation planning in the Kanto region of Japan. Finally, the potential functions of the proposed method in practice are discussed.