THE POLICY PROCESS: AN OVERVIEW - Shaping Policy for ...

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Working Paper 118

THE POLICY PROCESS: AN OVERVIEW

Rebecca Sutton

August 1999

Overseas Development Institute Portland House Stag Place

London SW1E 5DP

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The research on which this work is based was funded by the World Bank, and completed under the guidance of Simon Maxwell, Director, Overseas Development Institute. Any questions should be directed to him (email s.maxwell@.uk). Responsibility is the author's. The author would like to acknowledge the work of James Keeley and Ian Scoones, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

Printed by Chameleon Press Ltd, London SW18 4SG ISBN 0 85003 417 5 ? Overseas Development Institute 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publishers.

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Contents

Summary

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Glossary

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1.

The Linear Model

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2.

Key Ideas from Five Disciplines

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2.1 Political Science/Sociology

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2.2 Anthropology

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2.3 International Relations

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2.4 Management

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3.

Cross-cutting Themes

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3.1 The dichotomy between policy-making and implementation

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3.2 The management of change

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3.3 The role of interest groups in the policy process

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3.4 Ownership of the policy process

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3.5 The urge to simplify

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3.6 The narrowing of policy alternatives

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4.

Conclusion

What makes policies happen

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Bibliography

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Summary

The paper offers an introduction to analysis of the policy process. It identifies and describes theoretical approaches in political science, sociology, anthropology, international relations and management. It then reviews five cross-cutting themes: (a) the dichotomy between policy-making and implementation; (b) the management of change; (c) the role of interest groups in the policy process; (d) ownership of the policy process; and (e) the narrowing of policy alternatives. The paper concludes with a 21-point check-list of `what makes policy happen'. A glossary of key terms is also provided.

The key argument of the paper is that a `linear model' of policy-making, characterised by objective analysis of options and separation of policy from implementation, is inadequate. Instead, policy and policy implementation are best understood as a `chaos of purposes and accidents'. A combination of concepts and tools from different disciplines can be deployed to put some order into the chaos, including policy narratives, policy communities, discourse analysis, regime theory, change management, and the role of street-level bureaucrats in implementation.

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