Summary
Christoph Knill en Jale Tosun (2012). Public Policy. A New Introduction.
Inhoud
Chapter 1: Introduction.............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 What is a public policy?...................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Analytical perspectives on the policy-making process.....................................................................................5
1.3 Studying public policy: approach and structure of this book...........................................................................6
Chapter 2: The Nature of Public Policies...................................................................................................................8
2.1 Typologies of public policies............................................................................................................................8
2.1.1 Classification by implications for politics..................................................................................................8
2.1.2 Classification by governance principles and instruments.........................................................................9
2.2 Policy dimensions..........................................................................................................................................11
2.3 Policy styles...................................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: The Context for Policy-Making: Central Institutions and Actors............................................................12
3.1 National institutions: defining the rules of the political game.......................................................................12
3.1.1 Constitutions and constitutional courts..................................................................................................12
3.1.2 Division of powers..................................................................................................................................13
3.1.3 Electoral institutions and party systems.................................................................................................14
3.2 Supranational and intergovernmental institution: policy making in a multilevel system..............................15
3.3 Key actors......................................................................................................................................................15
3.3.1 Public actors...........................................................................................................................................16
3.3.1 Private actors..........................................................................................................................................17
Chapter 4: Theoretical approaches to Policy-Making..............................................................................................17
4.1 Structure-based models................................................................................................................................17
4.1.2 The socioeconomic school......................................................................................................................18
4.1.2 The cleavage approach...........................................................................................................................18
4.2 Institution-based models...............................................................................................................................19
4.2.1 The classical approach to political institutions........................................................................................19
4.2.2 The new approaches to political institutions..........................................................................................20
4.3 Interest-based models...................................................................................................................................21
4.3.1 Concepts of rationality............................................................................................................................21
4.3.2 Strategic choices of actors......................................................................................................................21
4.3.3 Understanding the interaction of actors: Game theory..........................................................................22
1
, 4.3.4 Rational choice institutionalism..............................................................................................................23
Chapter 5: Problem definition and agenda setting..................................................................................................24
5.1 Problem definition: the path to agenda-setting.............................................................................................24
5.2 Analytical concepts of agendasetting............................................................................................................25
5.3 Actors and interest in the agenda setting process.........................................................................................25
Chapter 6: Decision-Making....................................................................................................................................27
6.1 Determinants of policy formulation..............................................................................................................27
6.2 Institutional and procedural dimensions of decision-making........................................................................29
6.3 Illustration: decision-making in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the United States...................30
Chapter 7: Implementation.....................................................................................................................................31
7.1 Who is involved in policy implementation?...................................................................................................31
7.2 Analytical perspectives in implementation research.....................................................................................32
7.2.1 Top-down models of policy implementation..........................................................................................32
7.2.2 Bottom-up models of policy implementation.........................................................................................32
7.3.3 Hybrid models of policy implementation................................................................................................33
7.3 Implementation success: criteria and determinants.....................................................................................34
7.4 Determinants of implementation success.....................................................................................................34
Chapter 8: Evaluation..............................................................................................................................................37
8.1 Types and methods of evaluation..................................................................................................................37
8.1.1 Types of evaluation.................................................................................................................................37
8.1.2 Methods of evaluation............................................................................................................................38
8.2 Theory in policy evaluation............................................................................................................................39
8.3 The political dimension of policy evaluation..................................................................................................40
Chapter 9: Governance: A Synoptic perspective on Policy-Making.........................................................................42
9.1 Central concepts and modes of governance..................................................................................................42
9.2 Four ideal types of governance......................................................................................................................43
9.3 When is governance good.............................................................................................................................44
Chapter 10: Public Policies beyond the Nation State...............................................................................................45
10.1 Public policies beyond the nation state: general assessment......................................................................45
10.1 Overview: organizational forms and areas of international public policy....................................................45
10.2 Policy formulation: typical interest constellations and interaction.............................................................46
10.3 Policy implementation.................................................................................................................................47
Chapter 11. Policy change and Policy Convergence................................................................................................48
11.1 Policy change: theories, measurement and general patterns......................................................................48
2
, 11.1.2 The punctuated equilibrium framework, path dependencies and veto points.....................................49
11.1.3 Multiple stream approach....................................................................................................................49
11.2 Measurement of policy change...................................................................................................................49
11.3 Cross-national policy convergence: concept, measurement and dimensions.............................................50
11.4 Causes and conditions of cross-national policy convergence......................................................................52
11.4.1 Causal mechanisms...............................................................................................................................53
3
, Chapter 1: Introduction
Learning more about the making of public policies must be seen as an important complement to all other themes
addressed by the discipline of political science. Ranging much more broadly than just analysing political
institutions, government behaviour, political parties, interest groups, or elections, the study of public policies
concerns the whole process of public decision-making.
Study of public policies:
- Seeks to understand the production and effects of public actions.
- Students of public policy are interested in the processes and decisions that define the outputs of a
political system, such as higher education policies, social services and environmental regulations.
- But policy research also highlights the broader effects resulting from such policy decisions.
If policy outputs and policy effects are the core topics of public policy, their study generally focuses on two
fundamental issues: policy variation and policy change.
policy variation: refers to the explanation of differences between public policies across sectors and countries.
policy change: the central focus is on the explanation of stability and change Often, public policies remain
highly stable over time, although their functionality and effectiveness have constantly been questioned.
1.1 What is a public policy?
Three mayor subject areas in political science:
Polity: refers to the institutional structures characterizing a political system.
Politics: concentrates on political processes, such as party political cleavages a prominent argument is that
countries reveal distinctive policy styles, i.e. more or less stable patterns that characterize the policy process
(politics).
Policy: The analysis of public policy, by contrast, puts the content of policies centre stage Rather than
focusing on institutions or processes, the research interest is on the analysis of the outputs of a political system,
i.e. the decisions, measures, programmes, strategies and courses of action adopted by the government or the
legislature.
4
Christoph Knill en Jale Tosun (2012). Public Policy. A New Introduction.
Inhoud
Chapter 1: Introduction.............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 What is a public policy?...................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Analytical perspectives on the policy-making process.....................................................................................5
1.3 Studying public policy: approach and structure of this book...........................................................................6
Chapter 2: The Nature of Public Policies...................................................................................................................8
2.1 Typologies of public policies............................................................................................................................8
2.1.1 Classification by implications for politics..................................................................................................8
2.1.2 Classification by governance principles and instruments.........................................................................9
2.2 Policy dimensions..........................................................................................................................................11
2.3 Policy styles...................................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: The Context for Policy-Making: Central Institutions and Actors............................................................12
3.1 National institutions: defining the rules of the political game.......................................................................12
3.1.1 Constitutions and constitutional courts..................................................................................................12
3.1.2 Division of powers..................................................................................................................................13
3.1.3 Electoral institutions and party systems.................................................................................................14
3.2 Supranational and intergovernmental institution: policy making in a multilevel system..............................15
3.3 Key actors......................................................................................................................................................15
3.3.1 Public actors...........................................................................................................................................16
3.3.1 Private actors..........................................................................................................................................17
Chapter 4: Theoretical approaches to Policy-Making..............................................................................................17
4.1 Structure-based models................................................................................................................................17
4.1.2 The socioeconomic school......................................................................................................................18
4.1.2 The cleavage approach...........................................................................................................................18
4.2 Institution-based models...............................................................................................................................19
4.2.1 The classical approach to political institutions........................................................................................19
4.2.2 The new approaches to political institutions..........................................................................................20
4.3 Interest-based models...................................................................................................................................21
4.3.1 Concepts of rationality............................................................................................................................21
4.3.2 Strategic choices of actors......................................................................................................................21
4.3.3 Understanding the interaction of actors: Game theory..........................................................................22
1
, 4.3.4 Rational choice institutionalism..............................................................................................................23
Chapter 5: Problem definition and agenda setting..................................................................................................24
5.1 Problem definition: the path to agenda-setting.............................................................................................24
5.2 Analytical concepts of agendasetting............................................................................................................25
5.3 Actors and interest in the agenda setting process.........................................................................................25
Chapter 6: Decision-Making....................................................................................................................................27
6.1 Determinants of policy formulation..............................................................................................................27
6.2 Institutional and procedural dimensions of decision-making........................................................................29
6.3 Illustration: decision-making in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the United States...................30
Chapter 7: Implementation.....................................................................................................................................31
7.1 Who is involved in policy implementation?...................................................................................................31
7.2 Analytical perspectives in implementation research.....................................................................................32
7.2.1 Top-down models of policy implementation..........................................................................................32
7.2.2 Bottom-up models of policy implementation.........................................................................................32
7.3.3 Hybrid models of policy implementation................................................................................................33
7.3 Implementation success: criteria and determinants.....................................................................................34
7.4 Determinants of implementation success.....................................................................................................34
Chapter 8: Evaluation..............................................................................................................................................37
8.1 Types and methods of evaluation..................................................................................................................37
8.1.1 Types of evaluation.................................................................................................................................37
8.1.2 Methods of evaluation............................................................................................................................38
8.2 Theory in policy evaluation............................................................................................................................39
8.3 The political dimension of policy evaluation..................................................................................................40
Chapter 9: Governance: A Synoptic perspective on Policy-Making.........................................................................42
9.1 Central concepts and modes of governance..................................................................................................42
9.2 Four ideal types of governance......................................................................................................................43
9.3 When is governance good.............................................................................................................................44
Chapter 10: Public Policies beyond the Nation State...............................................................................................45
10.1 Public policies beyond the nation state: general assessment......................................................................45
10.1 Overview: organizational forms and areas of international public policy....................................................45
10.2 Policy formulation: typical interest constellations and interaction.............................................................46
10.3 Policy implementation.................................................................................................................................47
Chapter 11. Policy change and Policy Convergence................................................................................................48
11.1 Policy change: theories, measurement and general patterns......................................................................48
2
, 11.1.2 The punctuated equilibrium framework, path dependencies and veto points.....................................49
11.1.3 Multiple stream approach....................................................................................................................49
11.2 Measurement of policy change...................................................................................................................49
11.3 Cross-national policy convergence: concept, measurement and dimensions.............................................50
11.4 Causes and conditions of cross-national policy convergence......................................................................52
11.4.1 Causal mechanisms...............................................................................................................................53
3
, Chapter 1: Introduction
Learning more about the making of public policies must be seen as an important complement to all other themes
addressed by the discipline of political science. Ranging much more broadly than just analysing political
institutions, government behaviour, political parties, interest groups, or elections, the study of public policies
concerns the whole process of public decision-making.
Study of public policies:
- Seeks to understand the production and effects of public actions.
- Students of public policy are interested in the processes and decisions that define the outputs of a
political system, such as higher education policies, social services and environmental regulations.
- But policy research also highlights the broader effects resulting from such policy decisions.
If policy outputs and policy effects are the core topics of public policy, their study generally focuses on two
fundamental issues: policy variation and policy change.
policy variation: refers to the explanation of differences between public policies across sectors and countries.
policy change: the central focus is on the explanation of stability and change Often, public policies remain
highly stable over time, although their functionality and effectiveness have constantly been questioned.
1.1 What is a public policy?
Three mayor subject areas in political science:
Polity: refers to the institutional structures characterizing a political system.
Politics: concentrates on political processes, such as party political cleavages a prominent argument is that
countries reveal distinctive policy styles, i.e. more or less stable patterns that characterize the policy process
(politics).
Policy: The analysis of public policy, by contrast, puts the content of policies centre stage Rather than
focusing on institutions or processes, the research interest is on the analysis of the outputs of a political system,
i.e. the decisions, measures, programmes, strategies and courses of action adopted by the government or the
legislature.
4
