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Policy Knowledge, Policy Formulation, and Change: Revisiting a Foundational Question
Author(s) -
James Thomas E.,
Jorgensen Paul D.
Publication year - 2009
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.1541-0072.2008.00300.x
Subject(s) - policy sciences , policy analysis , process (computing) , policy studies , political science , management science , epistemology , public administration , public policy , economics , computer science , law , philosophy , operating system
Understanding the influence of policy knowledge (analysis, evaluation) on policy change represents a long‐standing quest in the policy sciences. Despite attempts of Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) scholars, the first to embark systematically on this quest, utilization and policy process literatures still run parallel. Through a critique of ACF and utilization studies, we argue that the inability of policy theory to include how and which information decision makers use is the foundational issue hindering efforts to link process and substance in policy theory. Situating utilization studies in the policy design approach offers an improvement in conceptualizing relationships between policy knowledge, process, and change.