This article was commissioned by Stuff, a national electronic newspaper also published in print form under the mastheads listed below. The article drew on my commissioned research project for the New Zealand Ministerial Review into the Future of Local Government.
This activity is complex because it involves the collection, explanation, interpretation, and presentation of diverse and contested theoretical ideas. It is complex because it translates theoretically difficult concepts into easily understandable terms for a non-specialist audience and applies them to questions of contemporary public policy. The time and effort cannot be quantified with precision, but it is nevertheless substantial, because the article drew on a 10,000 word research/discussion paper. The diversity of end-users is evident in the diversity of this publication's readership. Engagement plans and briefings occurred with the commissioning editor.