The Policy Compass is the central method for creating policy within central government and replaces the Integrated Assessment Framework for Policy and Regulation (Integraal afwegingskader voor beleid en regelgeving, IAK). As soon as you start dealing with a social task, the revision of existing policy, or a new policy dossier, your point of departure is always the Policy Compass. It contains everything that is essential for good policy preparation. The Policy Compass offers an improved structure based on developing policy in five steps. Each step is accompanied by an assessment of the stakeholders that have to be involved so that you can implement the step in question on the basis of co-creation. For each step the Policy Compass provides practical guidelines, best practices and details of contact people who can help. Following the structure as soon as you start to prepare policy will ensure that you complete the process carefully, involve all relevant stakeholders, include all quality requirements and consider your various policy options. In this way you will avoid any undesirable surprises and have a proper substantiation of the choices in the event of, for example, dissent and/or parliamentary questions or debates.
There is particular added value to using the Policy Compass in an early stage of the policy process. Every proposal for policy or regulations must contain an adequate answer to the following questions:
Recurring question: Who are the stakeholders and why?
- What is the problem?
- What is the intended goal?
- What are the options for achieving the goal?
- What are the impacts of the options?
- What is the preferred option?
The recurring question about stakeholders also requires explicit attention to be paid to the early involvement of the stakeholders and to working on the basis of co-creation. The Policy Compass is consequently inspired by, among other things, task-oriented and environment-oriented working. This is a way of working in which the social task takes priority and is part of good civil service craftsmanship.
Last amended on: 18-2-2025