| 1. |
- Lundin, Martin
(författare)
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When Does Cooperation Improve Public Policy Implementation?
- 2007
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Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - : Wiley. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 35:4, s. 629-652
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interorganizational cooperation is often considered valuable in the public sector. However, in this article it is suggested that the impact of cooperation on public policy implementation is dependent on the type of policy being carried out. It is argued that complex policies are more effectively put into practice if agencies cooperate a lot, whereas less difficult tasks are handled just as well without interorganizational cooperation. Thus, two policies within the Swedish active labor market policy are examined. The empirical test focuses on the cooperation between Public Employment Service offices and municipal labor market administrations. In agreement with the hypothesis, the findings suggest that policy matters. The implementation of one of the policies - the complex policy - is enhanced if cooperation between agencies increase. On the other hand, cooperation does not improve implementation of the less complex task. The study is based on quantitative data.
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| 2. |
- Nohrstedt, Daniel
(författare)
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The Politics of Crisis Policymaking : Chernobyl and Swedish Nuclear Energy Policy
- 2008
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Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - : Wiley. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 36:2, s. 257-278
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Public policy scholars often accentuate the key role of crises in explaining policy change; however, much empirical work still remains to be done in order to explain crisis-induced policy outcomes. This article explores the prediction of the Advocacy Coalition Framework that stable coalitions and impediments to learning reduce the likelihood for policy change after a crisis. Strategic action is emphasized as a supplementary variable focusing on the role of political motivations in post-crisis policymaking. Sweden's decision not to accelerate the nuclear power phaseout following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster provides a case study to assess the utility of these explanations. Findings corroborate theoretical expectations about stable minority coalitions, cast doubts over the presumed rigidity of policy core beliefs, and emphasize strategic action and cognitive heuristics as important motivations for policy choice. The article concludes by outlining three sector-specific variables (ideological salience, level of conflict, and previous crisis experiences) that add to the explanation of crisis-induced policy outcomes.
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| 3. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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The performance of policy networks : the relation between network structure and network performance
- 2008
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Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 36:4, s. 497-524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of policy networks has long been emphasized within the field of policy analysis. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by social network analysis (SNA). This paper aims to address this need by determining if a relationship exists between the structural features of policy networks, their organizing capacities, and their performance. A comparative case study of four networks within the higher education policy sector confirms the assumption related to the existence of such a relation. It is proposed that an efficient and innovative policy network consists of a heterogeneous set of actors that are centrally and densely integrated. Furthermore, while the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization in the process of policymaking, the level of centralized integration promotes the function of prioritizing. These findings are believed to contribute to our understanding of policymaking in contemporary society. The current paper indicates that a significant explanatory power exists in the concept of policy networks and that SNA is one way of advancing its possibilities.
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| 4. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
-
The performance of policy networks : the relation between network structure and network performance
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - : Wiley. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 36:4, s. 497-524
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of policy networks has long been emphasized within the field of policy analysis. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by social network analysis (SNA). This paper aims to address this need by determining if a relationship exists between the structural features of policy networks, their organizing capacities, and their performance. A comparative case study of four networks within the higher education policy sector confirms the assumption related to the existence of such a relation. It is proposed that an efficient and innovative policy network consists of a heterogeneous set of actors that are centrally and densely integrated. Furthermore, while the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization in the process of policymaking, the level of centralized integration promotes the function of prioritizing. These findings are believed to contribute to our understanding of policymaking in contemporary society. The current paper indicates that a significant explanatory power exists in the concept of policy networks and that SNA is one way of advancing its possibilities.
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| 5. |
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