Vivien A. Schmidt
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240883
- eISBN:
- 9780191600173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240884.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The chapter explores the role of values and discourse in the politics of welfare‐state adjustment. By focusing on moments of crisis or transition when values were generally made explicit in public ...
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The chapter explores the role of values and discourse in the politics of welfare‐state adjustment. By focusing on moments of crisis or transition when values were generally made explicit in public debates, the chapter offers comparative insights not only into the values that remain central to polities’ notions of social justice but also into the discourses that appealed to values in their efforts to legitimize policy change. Moreover, it considers not only the substantive content of those normative discourses but also how the national institutional context affects the locus of discourse and the course of reform. More specifically, it demonstrates that in multi‐actor polities, the “coordinative discourse” that is necessary to achieve compromises among multiple policy elites may impede the effectiveness of the “communicative discourse” through which policy makers seek to legitimize change to the wider public. However, as comparative analyses of single‐actor polities demonstrate, single‐actor institutions do not guarantee, and multi‐actor constellations do not rule out, successful communicative discourses that gain public acceptance of painful but effective welfare‐state reforms.Less
The chapter explores the role of values and discourse in the politics of welfare‐state adjustment. By focusing on moments of crisis or transition when values were generally made explicit in public debates, the chapter offers comparative insights not only into the values that remain central to polities’ notions of social justice but also into the discourses that appealed to values in their efforts to legitimize policy change. Moreover, it considers not only the substantive content of those normative discourses but also how the national institutional context affects the locus of discourse and the course of reform. More specifically, it demonstrates that in multi‐actor polities, the “coordinative discourse” that is necessary to achieve compromises among multiple policy elites may impede the effectiveness of the “communicative discourse” through which policy makers seek to legitimize change to the wider public. However, as comparative analyses of single‐actor polities demonstrate, single‐actor institutions do not guarantee, and multi‐actor constellations do not rule out, successful communicative discourses that gain public acceptance of painful but effective welfare‐state reforms.
Frank Fischer
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199242641
- eISBN:
- 9780191599255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924264X.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This is the second of two chapters that present a more detailed examination of the ways in which social constructions are produced and negotiated in public politics through the medium of discourse. ...
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This is the second of two chapters that present a more detailed examination of the ways in which social constructions are produced and negotiated in public politics through the medium of discourse. It looks at discourse versus advocacy coalitions. The first section of the chapter introduces the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) that was developed by Sabatier and his associates, and is perhaps the most widely discussed contribution to the field of policy studies in the past decade. Its aim is to explain policy change empirically through the interaction of competing advocacy coalitions. The next section of the chapter presents Hajer’s critique of the ACF, focusing on his model of discourse coalitions, which, like advocacy coalitions, are designed to explain policy changes generally. The last section looks at the concept of policy learning.Less
This is the second of two chapters that present a more detailed examination of the ways in which social constructions are produced and negotiated in public politics through the medium of discourse. It looks at discourse versus advocacy coalitions. The first section of the chapter introduces the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) that was developed by Sabatier and his associates, and is perhaps the most widely discussed contribution to the field of policy studies in the past decade. Its aim is to explain policy change empirically through the interaction of competing advocacy coalitions. The next section of the chapter presents Hajer’s critique of the ACF, focusing on his model of discourse coalitions, which, like advocacy coalitions, are designed to explain policy changes generally. The last section looks at the concept of policy learning.
Herbert Kitschelt
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297567
- eISBN:
- 9780191600104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297564.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic ...
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This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic configuration of party systems, net of public opinion on social policy reforms, is a critical force that shapes social policy reform programmes and their implementation. He lays out mechanisms that may induce politicians to pursue often unpopular reforms based on internal opportunities offered by the dynamic of competitive party democracy that have received only scant attention in the comparative political economy and social policy literature. The central guiding proposition of the chapter requires two important qualifications: first, that the dynamic of party competition is only one of several mechanisms that affect social policy retrenchment; and second, that a comparative study of social policy change in the 1980s and 1990s would ideally rely on equivalent measures across a wide range of countries, but cross‐nationally comparable measures are not available. These data limitations currently make it impossible to determine the explanatory power of internal political conditions relative to external demographic and economic changes in accounts of social policy retrenchment, so Kitschelt uses case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan to illustrate how mechanisms of party competition impinge on social policy change, and beyond that, attempts to generalize his argument based on a reading of much looser expert judgements about social policy retrenchment in a broader set of countries.Less
This is the third of three chapters on the implications of electoral politics and the design of political institutions for welfare state adjustment. Kitschelt's main proposition is that the strategic configuration of party systems, net of public opinion on social policy reforms, is a critical force that shapes social policy reform programmes and their implementation. He lays out mechanisms that may induce politicians to pursue often unpopular reforms based on internal opportunities offered by the dynamic of competitive party democracy that have received only scant attention in the comparative political economy and social policy literature. The central guiding proposition of the chapter requires two important qualifications: first, that the dynamic of party competition is only one of several mechanisms that affect social policy retrenchment; and second, that a comparative study of social policy change in the 1980s and 1990s would ideally rely on equivalent measures across a wide range of countries, but cross‐nationally comparable measures are not available. These data limitations currently make it impossible to determine the explanatory power of internal political conditions relative to external demographic and economic changes in accounts of social policy retrenchment, so Kitschelt uses case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan to illustrate how mechanisms of party competition impinge on social policy change, and beyond that, attempts to generalize his argument based on a reading of much looser expert judgements about social policy retrenchment in a broader set of countries.
Jochen Clasen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199270712
- eISBN:
- 9780191603266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270716.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
The chapter introduces the book conceptualisation of s framework for the causal analysis of welfare state reform. It introduces relevant actors and their interests in the two welfare states, ...
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The chapter introduces the book conceptualisation of s framework for the causal analysis of welfare state reform. It introduces relevant actors and their interests in the two welfare states, institutional structures, as well as changing socio-economic contexts within which actors have operated since the late 1970s. Three sets of different institutional contexts are discussed: formal policy making structures, programme-specific features of unemployment and pension and family policy, and institutional complementarities linking social protection programmes to national political economy structures. The chapter concludes with a historical account of socio-economic trends in the two countries, covering about 25 years.Less
The chapter introduces the book conceptualisation of s framework for the causal analysis of welfare state reform. It introduces relevant actors and their interests in the two welfare states, institutional structures, as well as changing socio-economic contexts within which actors have operated since the late 1970s. Three sets of different institutional contexts are discussed: formal policy making structures, programme-specific features of unemployment and pension and family policy, and institutional complementarities linking social protection programmes to national political economy structures. The chapter concludes with a historical account of socio-economic trends in the two countries, covering about 25 years.
Mark Thatcher
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250158
- eISBN:
- 9780191599439
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250154.003.0018
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter compares industrial policy and economic regulation in Britain and France in order to consider national capacities to alter institutions and policy norms. Analyses of the period between ...
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This chapter compares industrial policy and economic regulation in Britain and France in order to consider national capacities to alter institutions and policy norms. Analyses of the period between 1945 and 1980 have claimed that French policy-makers enjoyed much greater innovatory capacities than their British counterparts, using industrial policy as an example to support their views. Yet the reverse held true in the 1980s and 1990s: Britain was able to introduce more comprehensive reforms, and did so with less difficulty and earlier than did France. It moved decisively towards a ‘regulatory state’, whereas France followed the same direction of change but at a slower, more hesitant pace, without adopting a new rationale for state action. The chapter analyses how and why this was so from a historical institutionalist perspective, before drawing some more general conclusions about institutional change.Less
This chapter compares industrial policy and economic regulation in Britain and France in order to consider national capacities to alter institutions and policy norms. Analyses of the period between 1945 and 1980 have claimed that French policy-makers enjoyed much greater innovatory capacities than their British counterparts, using industrial policy as an example to support their views. Yet the reverse held true in the 1980s and 1990s: Britain was able to introduce more comprehensive reforms, and did so with less difficulty and earlier than did France. It moved decisively towards a ‘regulatory state’, whereas France followed the same direction of change but at a slower, more hesitant pace, without adopting a new rationale for state action. The chapter analyses how and why this was so from a historical institutionalist perspective, before drawing some more general conclusions about institutional change.
Carsten Daugbjerg and Alan Swinbank
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199557752
- eISBN:
- 9780191721922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557752.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter outlines the free-trade perspective on agricultural trade liberalization, and Putnam's two-level game model of trade negotiations, and then develops a framework for a dynamic analysis of ...
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This chapter outlines the free-trade perspective on agricultural trade liberalization, and Putnam's two-level game model of trade negotiations, and then develops a framework for a dynamic analysis of ideational, institutional, and policy change. The framework sees this as a gradual process. Focusing on sectorial rather than macro-political ideational change, it is suggested that macro-institutional change may be the decisive factor bringing about ideational change at sectorial level; but ideational change at the global (WTO) level has also to materialize in policy change at the domestic level. It is argued that ideational and institutional change must be given prominence in explaining, on the one hand, the evolution and implementation of WTO farm trade rules and, on the other, CAP reform and how CAP reform in turn sets limits for subsequent changes to WTO farm trade rules.Less
This chapter outlines the free-trade perspective on agricultural trade liberalization, and Putnam's two-level game model of trade negotiations, and then develops a framework for a dynamic analysis of ideational, institutional, and policy change. The framework sees this as a gradual process. Focusing on sectorial rather than macro-political ideational change, it is suggested that macro-institutional change may be the decisive factor bringing about ideational change at sectorial level; but ideational change at the global (WTO) level has also to materialize in policy change at the domestic level. It is argued that ideational and institutional change must be given prominence in explaining, on the one hand, the evolution and implementation of WTO farm trade rules and, on the other, CAP reform and how CAP reform in turn sets limits for subsequent changes to WTO farm trade rules.
Frank Deppe, Michael Felder, and Stefan Tidow
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199252268
- eISBN:
- 9780191601040
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199252262.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Chapter 9 focuses on a new quality of linkages between the European and the national levels of governance in the area of European employment policy where ‘soft’ techniques of integration such as best ...
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Chapter 9 focuses on a new quality of linkages between the European and the national levels of governance in the area of European employment policy where ‘soft’ techniques of integration such as best practice procedures and benchmarking and the employment programmes of the European Social Funds prevail. However, so the argument goes, ‘soft’ forms of governance are much more than symbolic politics and may cause ‘hard’ effects. European employment policy is an instructive case demonstrating not only the structural change of European policy but also the (re-)structuring of the nation state by European integration. Thus, notable shifts in European employment policy are identified in three dimensions: (a) a reduced range of politics, (b) the dominance of criteria of economic rationality, and (c) a new demarcation between the public and the private sphere. Eventually, the division of labour between European and national governance will be altered by the open method of coordination in European employment policy as this ‘soft’ governance mechanism effectively blurs the boundaries between EU and member state responsibilities.Less
Chapter 9 focuses on a new quality of linkages between the European and the national levels of governance in the area of European employment policy where ‘soft’ techniques of integration such as best practice procedures and benchmarking and the employment programmes of the European Social Funds prevail. However, so the argument goes, ‘soft’ forms of governance are much more than symbolic politics and may cause ‘hard’ effects. European employment policy is an instructive case demonstrating not only the structural change of European policy but also the (re-)structuring of the nation state by European integration. Thus, notable shifts in European employment policy are identified in three dimensions: (a) a reduced range of politics, (b) the dominance of criteria of economic rationality, and (c) a new demarcation between the public and the private sphere. Eventually, the division of labour between European and national governance will be altered by the open method of coordination in European employment policy as this ‘soft’ governance mechanism effectively blurs the boundaries between EU and member state responsibilities.
Vivien A. Schmidt
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253685
- eISBN:
- 9780191600210
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253684.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Provides an overview of the book, introduces the main themes related to Europeanization, globalization, policy change, varieties of capitalism, and discourse, then provides an outline of the ...
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Provides an overview of the book, introduces the main themes related to Europeanization, globalization, policy change, varieties of capitalism, and discourse, then provides an outline of the chapters, and thanks sources.Less
Provides an overview of the book, introduces the main themes related to Europeanization, globalization, policy change, varieties of capitalism, and discourse, then provides an outline of the chapters, and thanks sources.
Vivien A. Schmidt
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253685
- eISBN:
- 9780191600210
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253684.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
European countries’ political‐economic policies, practices, and discourses have changed profoundly in response to Europeanization, even more so than in response to globalization, but they have not ...
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European countries’ political‐economic policies, practices, and discourses have changed profoundly in response to Europeanization, even more so than in response to globalization, but they have not converged. National policies may now be more similar, especially where they follow from common European policies, but they are not the same. National practices, although moving in the same general direction toward greater market orientation continue to be distinguishable into not just one or even two but three varieties of capitalism. And national discourses that generate and legitimize changes in policies and practices not only remain distinct, they matter. The book spans fields and combines theoretical insights with innovative methods to show that European countries have followed very different pathways of economic adjustment, and will continue to do so into the future. Of the three cases used in illustration, France is shown to have undergone the greatest amount of adjustment, having largely abandoned its interventionist policies and transformed its state‐led capitalism in response to both globalization and Europeanization, but without the benefits of a fully legitimizing discourse. Britain, by contrast, adjusted mainly in response to globalization while anticipating many of the pressures of Europeanization, and came up with a transformative discourse that largely legitimized its neo‐liberal policies and its move toward greater market capitalism. Germany, finally, felt global and European pressures latest, not until the 1990s, at which point it slowly began to alter its social market policies and to make its managed capitalism more competitive, also without the benefits of a fully legitimizing discourse.Less
European countries’ political‐economic policies, practices, and discourses have changed profoundly in response to Europeanization, even more so than in response to globalization, but they have not converged. National policies may now be more similar, especially where they follow from common European policies, but they are not the same. National practices, although moving in the same general direction toward greater market orientation continue to be distinguishable into not just one or even two but three varieties of capitalism. And national discourses that generate and legitimize changes in policies and practices not only remain distinct, they matter. The book spans fields and combines theoretical insights with innovative methods to show that European countries have followed very different pathways of economic adjustment, and will continue to do so into the future. Of the three cases used in illustration, France is shown to have undergone the greatest amount of adjustment, having largely abandoned its interventionist policies and transformed its state‐led capitalism in response to both globalization and Europeanization, but without the benefits of a fully legitimizing discourse. Britain, by contrast, adjusted mainly in response to globalization while anticipating many of the pressures of Europeanization, and came up with a transformative discourse that largely legitimized its neo‐liberal policies and its move toward greater market capitalism. Germany, finally, felt global and European pressures latest, not until the 1990s, at which point it slowly began to alter its social market policies and to make its managed capitalism more competitive, also without the benefits of a fully legitimizing discourse.
Edward C. Page
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250158
- eISBN:
- 9780191599439
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250154.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Europeanization represents something of a paradox: at one level it is impossible to argue that the state has not been ‘Europeanized’ to some degree in various sectors; and on the other hand, there is ...
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Europeanization represents something of a paradox: at one level it is impossible to argue that the state has not been ‘Europeanized’ to some degree in various sectors; and on the other hand, there is precious little evidence of ‘Europeanization’. The difference between these two views can be explained by the different meanings of ‘Europeanization’ on which they are based: the first argument is based on the definition of Europeanization as impact of whatever sort on the way in which policies are developed in member states of the European Union (EU); the second argument is far more exacting since it is based on a definition of Europeanization as having a homogenizing impact on specific institutions and practices across a wide range of state activities; to a very large degree then the argument about whether and to what extent ‘Europeanization’ is taking place, depends upon the definition used. This investigation addresses a central theme in much of Vincent Wright’s later comparative work, as well as his work on French politics – the persistence of national differences in the light of wider global as well as European influences on the institutions of individual states. The chapter looks at the expectation of homogenization, and whether or not European administrative systems have converged. The various mechanisms considered through which this convergence could occur are: coercion, imitation, adjustment and polydiffusion.Less
Europeanization represents something of a paradox: at one level it is impossible to argue that the state has not been ‘Europeanized’ to some degree in various sectors; and on the other hand, there is precious little evidence of ‘Europeanization’. The difference between these two views can be explained by the different meanings of ‘Europeanization’ on which they are based: the first argument is based on the definition of Europeanization as impact of whatever sort on the way in which policies are developed in member states of the European Union (EU); the second argument is far more exacting since it is based on a definition of Europeanization as having a homogenizing impact on specific institutions and practices across a wide range of state activities; to a very large degree then the argument about whether and to what extent ‘Europeanization’ is taking place, depends upon the definition used. This investigation addresses a central theme in much of Vincent Wright’s later comparative work, as well as his work on French politics – the persistence of national differences in the light of wider global as well as European influences on the institutions of individual states. The chapter looks at the expectation of homogenization, and whether or not European administrative systems have converged. The various mechanisms considered through which this convergence could occur are: coercion, imitation, adjustment and polydiffusion.
Vivien A. Schmidt
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253685
- eISBN:
- 9780191600210
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253684.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
With regard to changes in policies, the book concludes that while countries have internationalized at different rates to varying degrees in different ways—with ‘internationalization’ rather than ...
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With regard to changes in policies, the book concludes that while countries have internationalized at different rates to varying degrees in different ways—with ‘internationalization’ rather than ‘globalization’, the better word to describe the process—Europeanization is a much stronger process, leading to much greater similarities in policies, even though differences remain. Moreover, Europeanization affects not only economic policies but also practices. Although nationally based varieties of capitalism continue to predominate today, in the future industrial sector‐based varieties reflecting the most internationally competitive of national varieties are more likely in an increasingly integrated Europe. As for discourse, these are certain to remain distinct even as they may serve to legitimate policies that are more and more similar and practices that are increasingly differentiated in terms of industrial sectors rather than national varieties of capitalism.Less
With regard to changes in policies, the book concludes that while countries have internationalized at different rates to varying degrees in different ways—with ‘internationalization’ rather than ‘globalization’, the better word to describe the process—Europeanization is a much stronger process, leading to much greater similarities in policies, even though differences remain. Moreover, Europeanization affects not only economic policies but also practices. Although nationally based varieties of capitalism continue to predominate today, in the future industrial sector‐based varieties reflecting the most internationally competitive of national varieties are more likely in an increasingly integrated Europe. As for discourse, these are certain to remain distinct even as they may serve to legitimate policies that are more and more similar and practices that are increasingly differentiated in terms of industrial sectors rather than national varieties of capitalism.
Erica Bell
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199549337
- eISBN:
- 9780191720635
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549337.003.01
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
The task of using evidence to influence health policy makers is best approached with the benefit of insight into what changes policy. This chapter offers conceptual and practical understandings of ...
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The task of using evidence to influence health policy makers is best approached with the benefit of insight into what changes policy. This chapter offers conceptual and practical understandings of how health policy works, and what changes it. Topics discussed include: models of research in policy change, kinds and uses of information for policy, what is policy-relevant research?, barriers to research-policy transfer, and what researchers can do to shape policy.Less
The task of using evidence to influence health policy makers is best approached with the benefit of insight into what changes policy. This chapter offers conceptual and practical understandings of how health policy works, and what changes it. Topics discussed include: models of research in policy change, kinds and uses of information for policy, what is policy-relevant research?, barriers to research-policy transfer, and what researchers can do to shape policy.
Michael W. Bauer, Andrew Jordan, Christoffer Green-Pedersen, and Adrienne Héritier (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199656646
- eISBN:
- 9780191746000
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199656646.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing ...
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Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing policies normally acquires particular poignancy during periods of acute economic austerity. However, scholars of public policy have been rather slow to offer a comprehensive account of the precise conditions under which particular aspects of policy are dismantled, grounded in systematic empirical analysis. Although our overall understanding of what causes policy to change has accelerated a lot in recent decades, there remains a bias towards the study of either policy expansion or policy stability. Dismantling does not even merit a mention in most public policy textbooks. Yet without an account of both expansion and dismantling, our understanding of policy change in general, and the politics surrounding the cutting of existing policies, will remain frustratingly incomplete. This book seeks to develop a more comparative approach to understanding policy dismantling by looking in greater detail at the dynamics of cutting in two different policy fields: one (social policy) which has been subjected to study before, and the other (environmental policy) which has not. On the basis of a systematic analysis of the existing literatures in these two fields, it develops a new analytical framework for measuring and explaining policy dismantling. Through an analysis of six, fresh empirical cases of dismantling written by leading experts, it reveals a more nuanced picture of change, focusing on what actually motivates actors to dismantle, the strategies they use to secure their objectives and the politically significant effects they ultimately generate. Dismantling Public Policy is essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand a hugely important facet of contemporary policy and politics. It will inform a range of student courses in comparative public policy, politics, social and environmental policy.Less
Policy dismantling is a distinctive form of policy change, which involves the cutting, reduction, diminution, or complete removal of existing policies. The perceived need to dismantle existing policies normally acquires particular poignancy during periods of acute economic austerity. However, scholars of public policy have been rather slow to offer a comprehensive account of the precise conditions under which particular aspects of policy are dismantled, grounded in systematic empirical analysis. Although our overall understanding of what causes policy to change has accelerated a lot in recent decades, there remains a bias towards the study of either policy expansion or policy stability. Dismantling does not even merit a mention in most public policy textbooks. Yet without an account of both expansion and dismantling, our understanding of policy change in general, and the politics surrounding the cutting of existing policies, will remain frustratingly incomplete. This book seeks to develop a more comparative approach to understanding policy dismantling by looking in greater detail at the dynamics of cutting in two different policy fields: one (social policy) which has been subjected to study before, and the other (environmental policy) which has not. On the basis of a systematic analysis of the existing literatures in these two fields, it develops a new analytical framework for measuring and explaining policy dismantling. Through an analysis of six, fresh empirical cases of dismantling written by leading experts, it reveals a more nuanced picture of change, focusing on what actually motivates actors to dismantle, the strategies they use to secure their objectives and the politically significant effects they ultimately generate. Dismantling Public Policy is essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand a hugely important facet of contemporary policy and politics. It will inform a range of student courses in comparative public policy, politics, social and environmental policy.
Guang Zhang Shu
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198294689
- eISBN:
- 9780191601538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294689.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Mao Zedong originally saw a new China's struggle for security in terms of conventional warfare and in 1946 satirized the atomic bomb as a ’paper tiger’. Mao found it difficult to understand why the ...
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Mao Zedong originally saw a new China's struggle for security in terms of conventional warfare and in 1946 satirized the atomic bomb as a ’paper tiger’. Mao found it difficult to understand why the imperialists would venture to use nuclear weapons in a war if they wanted to dominate other nations, because a massively destructive weapon would not serve the purpose of acquiring political control, but would instead destroy that which was to be controlled. However, he gradually changed his position, as he understood the deterrent value of the bomb. Frequent US nuclear threats against China, Soviet pressures, and pressures from other Chinese leaders who kept pushing Mao to pay more attention to nuclear‐weapon programmes are the important factors that contributed to his ’nuclear revolution’. Consequently, his thinking on the atomic bomb came to dominate China's defence policy and brought about the policy changes that turned China into a major nuclear power.Less
Mao Zedong originally saw a new China's struggle for security in terms of conventional warfare and in 1946 satirized the atomic bomb as a ’paper tiger’. Mao found it difficult to understand why the imperialists would venture to use nuclear weapons in a war if they wanted to dominate other nations, because a massively destructive weapon would not serve the purpose of acquiring political control, but would instead destroy that which was to be controlled. However, he gradually changed his position, as he understood the deterrent value of the bomb. Frequent US nuclear threats against China, Soviet pressures, and pressures from other Chinese leaders who kept pushing Mao to pay more attention to nuclear‐weapon programmes are the important factors that contributed to his ’nuclear revolution’. Consequently, his thinking on the atomic bomb came to dominate China's defence policy and brought about the policy changes that turned China into a major nuclear power.
Anthony B. Atkinson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199271412
- eISBN:
- 9780191601255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199271410.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The recent rise in inequality in the distribution of disposable income in many, although not all, countries has led to a search for explanations, particularly since for much of the postwar period ...
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The recent rise in inequality in the distribution of disposable income in many, although not all, countries has led to a search for explanations, particularly since for much of the postwar period falling income inequality has been the norm. In the OECD countries, on which this chapter concentrates, the cause has been identified as rising wage dispersion, coupled with persistent unemployment in Europe. However, a number of factors need to be brought into any explanation of the extent and timing of changes in income distribution, including movements in factor shares, changes in real interest rates, and the impact of the government budget. This chapter focusses on the last of these. It has five sections: Introduction; Redistributive Impact of the Government Budget in selected OECD countries—a review of the statistical evidence from five OECD countries where a time series of studies covering the 1980s and the 1990s is available (UK, Canada, West Germany, Finland, Sweden; The Government Budget in Principle and Policy Reaction to Demographic Shifts—a simple framework within which the distributional implications of different government policy responses to changes in economic conditions and the different elements influencing the choice of response are explored; Policy Changes in Redistributive Taxes and Transfers: Case Studies of Unemployment Benefit and Personal Taxation—in the five European countries already studied, and in the US; and Summary of Conclusions.Less
The recent rise in inequality in the distribution of disposable income in many, although not all, countries has led to a search for explanations, particularly since for much of the postwar period falling income inequality has been the norm. In the OECD countries, on which this chapter concentrates, the cause has been identified as rising wage dispersion, coupled with persistent unemployment in Europe. However, a number of factors need to be brought into any explanation of the extent and timing of changes in income distribution, including movements in factor shares, changes in real interest rates, and the impact of the government budget. This chapter focusses on the last of these. It has five sections: Introduction; Redistributive Impact of the Government Budget in selected OECD countries—a review of the statistical evidence from five OECD countries where a time series of studies covering the 1980s and the 1990s is available (UK, Canada, West Germany, Finland, Sweden; The Government Budget in Principle and Policy Reaction to Demographic Shifts—a simple framework within which the distributional implications of different government policy responses to changes in economic conditions and the different elements influencing the choice of response are explored; Policy Changes in Redistributive Taxes and Transfers: Case Studies of Unemployment Benefit and Personal Taxation—in the five European countries already studied, and in the US; and Summary of Conclusions.
John Hills
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199276646
- eISBN:
- 9780191601644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199276641.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Analyses the impact of changes in tax and social security policy since the New Labour government came into office in the UK in May 1997. Looks at the challenges the Blair government faced in 1997 and ...
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Analyses the impact of changes in tax and social security policy since the New Labour government came into office in the UK in May 1997. Looks at the challenges the Blair government faced in 1997 and at what has been new about ‘New’ Labour policies since then. Outlines the key features of these policies, looking in turn at those connected with labour markets, incomes, social exclusion, and public spending. Examines what we know so far about the outcomes of these policies in terms of recent trends in poverty, inequality, and social exclusion, and at what modelling evidence suggests their impact will be, particularly on rates of poverty.Less
Analyses the impact of changes in tax and social security policy since the New Labour government came into office in the UK in May 1997. Looks at the challenges the Blair government faced in 1997 and at what has been new about ‘New’ Labour policies since then. Outlines the key features of these policies, looking in turn at those connected with labour markets, incomes, social exclusion, and public spending. Examines what we know so far about the outcomes of these policies in terms of recent trends in poverty, inequality, and social exclusion, and at what modelling evidence suggests their impact will be, particularly on rates of poverty.
Robert Hahn and Alistair Ulph
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199692873
- eISBN:
- 9780191738371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199692873.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
There is common agreement that climate change presents a serious threat to the planet. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the climate change problem and summarize the main findings of the ...
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There is common agreement that climate change presents a serious threat to the planet. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the climate change problem and summarize the main findings of the other chapters of the book. In addition we present 10 consensus principles on climate change policy developed by participants at a conference in honour of Tom Schelling. We argue that there is a need to go beyond many economists' preferred solution of doing no more than pricing pollution appropriately to also include consideration of alternatives such as geo-engineering and R&D subsidies. In addition, there is a growing realization that unless the cost of containing carbon emissions can be reduced substantially through innovation, not much mitigation is likely to occur. Finally, the authors of the Schelling consensus believe that a new approach is needed to climate change negotiations, which focuses on enforceable, realistic targets.Less
There is common agreement that climate change presents a serious threat to the planet. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the climate change problem and summarize the main findings of the other chapters of the book. In addition we present 10 consensus principles on climate change policy developed by participants at a conference in honour of Tom Schelling. We argue that there is a need to go beyond many economists' preferred solution of doing no more than pricing pollution appropriately to also include consideration of alternatives such as geo-engineering and R&D subsidies. In addition, there is a growing realization that unless the cost of containing carbon emissions can be reduced substantially through innovation, not much mitigation is likely to occur. Finally, the authors of the Schelling consensus believe that a new approach is needed to climate change negotiations, which focuses on enforceable, realistic targets.
Kate Crowley, Jenny Stewart, Adrian Kay, and Brian W. Head
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447333111
- eISBN:
- 9781447333159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447333111.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Explaining how policies may be changed over time is a fundamental theme common to the study of public policy and governance. Scholars have developed several competing perspectives on how and why ...
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Explaining how policies may be changed over time is a fundamental theme common to the study of public policy and governance. Scholars have developed several competing perspectives on how and why policy change occurs; while policy practitioners are largely focused on the successful negotiation and implementation of policy improvement and occasional major policy reforms. This chapter focuses on frameworks for explaining how policy agendas shift, how policy change occurs, and how some proposals for change are constrained. In the real world of complexity, wicked problems and mediatised debate, the authority and capacity of the state are subjected to many countervailing pressures. The explanation of policy change must take account not only of how Ministers are involved in setting priorities and mobilising political support, but also how public agencies manage the policy process – including their contributions to policy framing, policy design, engagement, evaluation, and managing conflicting views within civil society. In the governance era, policy change has become a complex and nuanced enterprise. This chapter reconsiders the utility of classic accounts of policy dynamics concerning evidence-based policy, ideology, and populist partisanship in addressing complex policy challenges.Less
Explaining how policies may be changed over time is a fundamental theme common to the study of public policy and governance. Scholars have developed several competing perspectives on how and why policy change occurs; while policy practitioners are largely focused on the successful negotiation and implementation of policy improvement and occasional major policy reforms. This chapter focuses on frameworks for explaining how policy agendas shift, how policy change occurs, and how some proposals for change are constrained. In the real world of complexity, wicked problems and mediatised debate, the authority and capacity of the state are subjected to many countervailing pressures. The explanation of policy change must take account not only of how Ministers are involved in setting priorities and mobilising political support, but also how public agencies manage the policy process – including their contributions to policy framing, policy design, engagement, evaluation, and managing conflicting views within civil society. In the governance era, policy change has become a complex and nuanced enterprise. This chapter reconsiders the utility of classic accounts of policy dynamics concerning evidence-based policy, ideology, and populist partisanship in addressing complex policy challenges.
Martin Evans
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847423054
- eISBN:
- 9781447301387
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847423054.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This book addresses the historical development of social and fiscal policies from the late 1970s to the present day by asking what has changed, how these changes have affected the lifecourse and what ...
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This book addresses the historical development of social and fiscal policies from the late 1970s to the present day by asking what has changed, how these changes have affected the lifecourse and what the potential lifetime impacts of policy change are. This book provides an overview of the development of policy change over the period and uses an innovative and unique lifetime approach ‘from the cradle to the grave’ to put it into perspective. The chapters begin by reviewing the political changes and policy story since the 1970s and they demonstrate the economic and social changes that have occurred alongside. The book then takes an innovative approach in looking at specific programmes about crucial aspects of the lifecycle — from maternity and childhood, through to adult events and risks before finally looking at retirement, survivorship and death. Finally, profiles of three hypothetical ‘families’ — the Meades, who are median earners, the Moores, high earners and the Lowes who are low paid — are developed for 1979, 1997 and 2008 to provide a comprehensive discussion of policy change and make innovative insights for the future. This book joins up the history of policy direction with an analysis of outcomes over the whole period.Less
This book addresses the historical development of social and fiscal policies from the late 1970s to the present day by asking what has changed, how these changes have affected the lifecourse and what the potential lifetime impacts of policy change are. This book provides an overview of the development of policy change over the period and uses an innovative and unique lifetime approach ‘from the cradle to the grave’ to put it into perspective. The chapters begin by reviewing the political changes and policy story since the 1970s and they demonstrate the economic and social changes that have occurred alongside. The book then takes an innovative approach in looking at specific programmes about crucial aspects of the lifecycle — from maternity and childhood, through to adult events and risks before finally looking at retirement, survivorship and death. Finally, profiles of three hypothetical ‘families’ — the Meades, who are median earners, the Moores, high earners and the Lowes who are low paid — are developed for 1979, 1997 and 2008 to provide a comprehensive discussion of policy change and make innovative insights for the future. This book joins up the history of policy direction with an analysis of outcomes over the whole period.
Julian E. Zelizer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150734
- eISBN:
- 9781400841899
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150734.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
This chapter challenges the prevailing framework that has shaped most of the literature on American conservatism and explores issues that need to be addressed in order to fundamentally rethink the ...
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This chapter challenges the prevailing framework that has shaped most of the literature on American conservatism and explores issues that need to be addressed in order to fundamentally rethink the history of American conservatism. Historians differ in their interpretations of the history and evolution of conservatism in contemporary politics. Some emphasized the importance of race in defining conservative objectives and in explaining their electoral appeal, while others objected to claims about Southern Exceptionalism while agreeing on the centrality of a racial backlash. A different cohort of scholars stressed the importance of anticommunism. After analyzing the fragmented nature of the scholarship of conservatism and the challenges encountered by conservatives when dealing with policy change, the chapter examines how conservatism unfolded in a dialectical fashion with liberalism rather than as a replacement of liberalism.Less
This chapter challenges the prevailing framework that has shaped most of the literature on American conservatism and explores issues that need to be addressed in order to fundamentally rethink the history of American conservatism. Historians differ in their interpretations of the history and evolution of conservatism in contemporary politics. Some emphasized the importance of race in defining conservative objectives and in explaining their electoral appeal, while others objected to claims about Southern Exceptionalism while agreeing on the centrality of a racial backlash. A different cohort of scholars stressed the importance of anticommunism. After analyzing the fragmented nature of the scholarship of conservatism and the challenges encountered by conservatives when dealing with policy change, the chapter examines how conservatism unfolded in a dialectical fashion with liberalism rather than as a replacement of liberalism.
