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Comparative Public Policies: Some Methodological and Theoretical Notes from a Scandinavian Research Project
Author(s) -
SAETREN HARALD
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1985.tb00120.x
Subject(s) - politics , field (mathematics) , comparative research , public policy , sociology , focus (optics) , point (geometry) , organizational theory , political system , political science , public administration , positive economics , regional science , social science , economics , management , law , physics , geometry , mathematics , optics , pure mathematics , democracy
A better understanding of political system performance from a public policy point of view requires a more rigorous concern with methodological and theoretical aspects of research design. In many comparative studies the lack of focus on the sub‐systemic, intermediate level of the political system is striking and it is maintained that recent developments in organizational theory offer rich opportunities to analyse the effects of institutional and organizational factors on political system performance. A Scandinavian research project covering Finland, Norway and Sweden, based on a ‘most similar systems’ research design, is used as an illustrative example of how the author thinks comparative studies may lead to an agglomeration of more cumulative knowledge in the field of public policy.