Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Ellis, David

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

This study examines whether the limited waste management policy change in Manatee County in October 2025 reflects an open systems or closed systems approach to policymaking, and what this case reveals about the characteristics of Wicked Problems at the local government level. The service of waste management provides a fruitful site for analysis due to its visibility, impact, operational complexity, and involvement of multiple actors and stakeholders; including county officials, contracted providers, and county constituents. This specific policy change, which was the reduction of trash collection from twice a week to once a week as well as the addition of a large bin to solve for more trash being held at once, serves as the focal point in examining how local governments make decisions under conditions such as uncertainty, fiscal constraints, and differing needs. The study is established in theories such as wicked problems, open systems, sensemaking, and complexity each emphasizing the idea that policy environments are characterized by non-linear outcomes, obscured causes, unintended effects, and multiple interpretations of problems. Based on this literature, the study hypothesizes that Manatee County would adopt an open systems approach in policymaking, allowing for policy creation to emerge from the bottom-up through feedback loops, stakeholder interaction, and reinvented decision making. Methodologically, this research involves qualitative case study design, incorporating semi-structured interviews with individuals involved with or affected by the policy implementation. Supplementary data found in public meeting minutes, and local newspaper coverage is provided to showcase the public’s reaction to the issue. All interview participants remain anonymous in the findings and the data is stored in compliance with the standards of the IRB.

The findings of the research indicate that even though there are elements of community input, stakeholder engagement, and consideration of bottom-up policy creation, the overall policy process is more aligned with closed system decision making, rather than an open systems approach. This study contributes to a larger discussion of local governance and Wicked Problems by defining a gap between the theory of open systems policy making and the reality of local government practices.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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