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Policy Feedback: The Comparison Effect and Small Business Procurement Policy
Author(s) -
Anglund Sandra M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
policy studies journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1541-0072
pISSN - 0190-292X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0072.1999.tb01950.x
Subject(s) - procurement , government procurement , government (linguistics) , public economics , business , contrast (vision) , public policy , policy learning , small business , class (philosophy) , economics , industrial organization , public administration , marketing , political science , economic growth , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , machine learning
Federal programs to help small business obtain government contracts reflect a type of policy learning termed the comparison effect. In contrast with studies of learning focused on policy instruments, the comparison effect directs attention to a class of policy dissatisfaction that leads to a search for new policy and the translation of dissatisfaction into problem definitions that influence the agenda. In the comparison effect, policy fuels comparisons of government treatment of different groups or sectors that contribute to compensatory or offsetting programs for those deemed to be on the losing end of the comparison.