Arenas of Power and New Policy Theory: Toward a Synthesis
Year: 2010
Type: preprint
Abstract: Do different policy designs generate their own distinctive patterns of politics and power relations? That question has been one source of debate in the scholarship on the politics of policy making that has developed over the course of more than four decades. The progenitor of this line of inquiry is, of course, Theodore Lowi’s “arenas of power” idea. The scholarly literature on arenas of power, or policy typologies, that followed Lowi’s initial conception and his own refinements is considerable. Several conceptual approaches have supplanted the policy typology paradigm, including punctuated equilibrium theory, the advocacy coalition framework, and the social construction of policy targets. In light of these new and apparently more powerful approaches for understanding the policy-politics nexus, does the arenas of power idea remain viable? This paper investigates that question by re-examining the origin of the typology approach and by exploring it’s commonalities with the newer frameworks. I argue that Lowi’s original thinking had already captured some of the insights contained in the newer frameworks, and that a synthesis of the arenas of power approach with one or more of the newer approaches can advance policy theory. I explore the potential for, and the obstacles to, such a synthesis.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Brian J. Cook
Language: English
Topic: Policy Transfer and Learning
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2123392716