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Beyond Metaphors: New Research on Agendas in the Policy Process 1
Author(s) -
Pump Barry
Publication year - 2011
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.1541-0072.2010.00389_1.x
Subject(s) - bureaucracy , process (computing) , political science , work (physics) , unit (ring theory) , public policy , public administration , sociology , epistemology , computer science , law , engineering , politics , mechanical engineering , philosophy , mathematics education , operating system , mathematics
Research on agenda setting seems to have arrived at a second stage in its development. In recent years, it has moved beyond both metaphors and popular units of analysis to study the mechanisms and dynamics of agenda setting in the public policy process. This essay synthesizes the last two years of research on agenda setting. It classifies the divergent work into three broad categories. The first focuses on information processing and punctuated equilibrium processes. The second addresses the attempts by scholars to move beyond subsystems as a unit of analysis. The third addresses the role of the bureaucracy in agenda setting, particularly during crises. The final section of the essay concludes by discussing future directions for research.