Addressing Wicked Educational Problems through Inter-Sectoral Policy Development: Lessons from Manitoba's Healthy Child Initiative

Abstract

In 2000, the Government of Manitoba initiated an inter-sectoral policystrategy referred to as Healthy Child Manitoba. This article reports on a researchproject that studied the success and challenges of this horizontal policy strategy. Theresearch suggests that while this policy approach—which places education withinthe broader context of a healthy child—warrants attention, the day-to-day operationalization of the policy strategy remains difficult. Using a horizontal approach to improve educational outcomes by breaking down the silo effect of traditional government departments appears to be important, but working effectively across sectors requires overcoming a number of barriers, including the need for the horizontal approach to co-exist within a well-delineated vertical governmental machinery.