Policy Networks and Policy Change: Putting Policy Network Theory to the Test

293 Pages·2009·1.341 MB·English

by  Hugh Compston (auth.)

Policy Networks and Policy Change
Also by Hugh Compston
THE NEW POLITICS OF UNEMPLOYMENT (edited)
SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (edited with Justin Greenwood)
POLICY CONCERTATION AND SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP IN WESTERN EUROPE
(edited with Stefan Berger)
HANDBOOK OF PUBLIC POLICY IN EUROPE: BRITAIN, FRANCE
AND GERMANY (edited)
KING TRENDS AND THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC POLICY
TURNING DOWN THE HEAT (edited with Ian Bailey)
Policy Networks and
Policy Change
Putting Policy Network Theory to the Test
Hugh Compston
Reader in Public Policy
Cardiff University
© Hugh Compston 2009
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009 978-0-230-22368-4
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First published 2009 by
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the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-30864-4 ISBN 978-0-230-24432-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230244320
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
Contents
List of Tables and Figures viii
List of Abbreviations x
Acknowledgements xiii
Definition xiv
Introduction 1
1 Policy Networks and Resource Dependency 6
1.1 Introduction 6
1.2 Conceptions of policy networks in the literature 7
1.3 Policy networks defined 11
1.4 Policy network theory defined 12
1.5 Summary 17
2 Actors and Resources 18
2.1 Introduction 18
2.2 The idea of resources and resource exchange 18
2.3 The identity of policy network members 19
2.4 Resources: the literature 21
2.5 Tradable and enabling resources 26
2.6 Summary 32
3 Policy Network Theory as a Theory of Policy Change 34
3.1 Introduction 34
3.2 How policy network theory explains policy change 35
3.3 Direct influences of policy network variables
on resource exchange 36
3.4 Indirect influences of policy network variables 42
3.5 Exogenous sources of changes in policy network
variables 47
3.6 Summary 49
v
Contents vi
4 Policy Network Theory and the Future of Public Policy 52
4.1 Introduction 52
4.2 Identifying relevant exogenous variables 54
4.3 Methodology for tracing the policy implications
of king trends 58
4.4 An example: tracing the policy implications
of climate change 62
4.5 Summary 69
5 Testing Policy Network Theory 71
5.1 Introduction 71
5.2 Test procedure 71
5.3 Methodological issues 80
5.4 Summary 83
6 Policy Implications of Technological Trends 86
6.1 Introduction 86
6.2 Developments in information and communications
technology 87
6.3 Developments in biotechnology 97
6.4 Developments in military technology 100
6.5 Conclusions 106
7 Growing Affluence, the Shift to Services, and the Growth
of Women’s Employment 108
7.1 Introduction 108
7.2 The growth and diversification of production
and consumption 108
7.3 The shift to services 118
7.4 The growth of women’s employment 123
7.5 Conclusions 131
8 Energy, Mobility and Climate Change 133
8.1 Introduction 133
8.2 The king trends described 133
8.3 Policy implications 137
vii Contents
8.4 Test 141
8.5 Conclusions 145
9 Trade Expansion and the Internationalization of Production
and Finance 146
9.1 Introduction 146
9.2 The nature of these trends 146
9.3 Policy implications 151
9.4 Test 161
9.5 Conclusions 180
10 Sex and Secularization 182
10.1 Introduction 182
10.2 Sexual liberalization 182
10.3 Secularization 189
10.4 Conclusions 193
11 Population Ageing and the Expansion of Education 194
11.1 Introduction 194
11.2 Population ageing 194
11.3 Rising levels of education 201
11.4 Conclusions 205
12 The Future of Public Policy 207
12.1 Introduction 207
12.2 Results 208
12.3 To what extent can these results be relied on? 210
12.4 The future of public policy 213
Appendices 219
References 237
Index 258
Tables and Figures
2.1 Resources of members of intra-government policy
networks 21
2.2 Resources of members of mixed public–private policy
networks 22
2.3 Corporate political resources 24
2.4 Main tradable resources 26
4.1 Identifiable king trends 57
4.2 Generic policy network relating to climate change 59
5.1 Country selection for hypothesis testing 75
5.2 King trends by chapter 84
7.1 Employment protection legislation (EPL), 12 test
countries, mid-1980s to 2004 117
9.1 Top corporate tax rates (per cent), 1980–2008 165
11.1 Measures designed to increase the size of the
labour force 199
A1.1 Policy implications of developments in information
and communications technology (ICT) 220
A1.2 Policy implications of developments in biotechnology 220
A1.3 Policy implications of developments in health care
technology 221
A1.4 Policy implications of developments in military
technology 221
A1.5 Policy implications of the growth and diversification
of production and consumption 222
A1.6 Policy implications of greater energy use 223
A1.7 Policy implications of greater mobility 223
A1.8 Policy implications of the shift to services 223
A1.9 Policy implications of the growth in women’s
employment 224
A1.10 Policy implications of trade expansion 224
viii
Tables and Figure ix
A1.11 Policy implications of the internationalization
of production 224
A1.12 Policy implications of the internationalization
of finance 225
A1.13 Policy implications of mass media expansion 225
A1.14 Policy implications of climate change 226
A1.15 Policy implications of population ageing 226
A1.16 Policy implications of rising education levels 227
A1.17 Policy implications of the trend towards smaller
households 228
A1.18 Policy implications of secularization 228
A1.19 Policy implications of sexual liberalization 229
A2.1 Hypotheses generated by more than one king trend 230
A3.1 Technological trend policy implications and hypotheses
for which endogeneity may be an issue 234
A3.2 Economic trend policy implications and hypotheses for
which endogeneity may be an issue 234
A3.3 Social trend policy implications and hypotheses for
which endogeneity may be an issue 236
Figure
3.1 Policy network model of policy change 50