The structure of policy networks

Journal of Theoretical Politics, 1998

This article attempts to explain why actors form policy networks of information and exchange contacts, and how the institutional settings of public decision-making affect policy network formation. In their empirical analysis of the formation of four different policy networks in the German labourpolicy domain, the authors examine actors' choice of mutual contacts resting on similarity of preferences on political events and test the importance of either formal procedural settings or common sector membership for information and exchange network formation. The choice of policy network contacts is shown to be primarily determined by the similarity of actors' preferences. However, this is qualified by institutional settings.

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2012

This article investigates the role of resource dependence in explaining the social structure of policy networks while controlling for the effects of microstructure, such as the tendency for networks to display reciprocity and/or transitive closure. While previous studies have analyzed resource dependence as a factor in decision making in policy networks, surprisingly little is known about the effects of these social factors on the structure of policy networks due, in part, to the statistical challenges in modeling them precisely. However, the recent development of the exponential random graph model technique, a stochastic method for studying social structure, has made it possible to overcome the statistical hurdles. This study draws on longitudinal data collected from an adult basic education policy network during 1998 and 2005 in a state to which we gave the pseudonym "Newstatia. " The findings suggest that decreased resource munificence may cause network segmentation and change the composition and nature of relationships among policy network members. These findings confirm our prior expectation that policy network activity and structure is animated by a desire to control resources. In addition, the observed policy network structure is greatly influenced by balancing operations undertaken by resource holders (e.g., legislators and state agencies) and resource seekers (e.g., service providers) and the generic social pressures for reciprocity and transitivity. INTroDuCTIoN For decades, scholars have recognized that public organizations with an enduring interest in a particular substantive policy area and their senior public managers are enmeshed in informal webs of relationships. More recently termed "policy networks," these webs are an alternate forum for policy deliberation and policy making. Policy networks provide a structure within which senior public managers play a role in guiding decision processes. Numerous studies on policy networks have suggested that resource We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Deneen M. Hatmaker (University of Connecticut) to the original collection and collation of the data used for this study. An abridged, early version of the paper was published in the 2009 Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings. We also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors of JPART for their invaluable comments.

The American Political Science Review, 1993

Although network thinking will have considerable impact on future social theory building in general, this chapter is certainly not the place for a general "philosophical" discussion. Based on the assumption that the network perspective will be, indeed, also fruitful for political analysis, we will focus our discussion on the specific use of network concepts in policy analysis. We will try to show that an important advantage of the network concept in this discipline is that it helps us to understand not only formal institutional arrangements but also highly complex informal relationships in the policy process. From a network point of view. modern political decision making cannot adequately be understood by the exclusive focus on formal politico-institutional anangements. Policies are formulated to an increasing degree in informal political infrastructures outside conventional channels such as legislative, executive and administrative organizations. Contemporary policy processes emerge from complex actor constellations and resource interdependencies, and decisions are often made in a highly decentralized and informal manner. example, the policy sector (Benson 1982), the policy domain (Laumann/ Knoke 1987), the policy topic's organization set (see for this concept Olsen 1982), the policy (actor) system (see, for instance, Sabatier 1987), the policy community (Jordan/ Richardson 1983, Mdny 1989), the policy game, the policy arena and also the policy regime. The network concept and all these other policy concepts are variations of a basic theme: the idea of public policies which are not explained by the intentions of one or two central actors, but which are generated within multiple actor-sets in which the individual actors are interrelated in a more or less systematic way. However, each of the different policy concepts emphasizes a special aspect: for example, the institutional structures in decision making processes are highlighted by the arena and regime perspective; the conflictual nature of policy processes, again, is emphasized by the game perspective. The arena concept, in contrast, concentrates on conflict and institutional integration, and the community, system and sector perspec-9 For a more detailed overview of British works with the network concept see also the recent article of Rhodes (1990). l0 Other examples in the application of the network concept in policy making are Zijlstra (1918179:359-389); Rainey/ Milward (1983: 133-146); Trasher/ Dunkerley (1982: 349' 382); Trasher (1983: 375-391). For an overview see also Windhoff-Hdritier (1985: 85-2t2). Cltapter 2 Butt, R. S./ M. J. Minor, 1982: Applied Nenuork Analysis-A Methodological Introduction Beverly Hills/ London: Sage. Callon, Michel, 1986: The Sociology of an Actor-Network: The Case of the Electric Vehicle. In: M. Callon/ H. Law/ A. Rip, Mapping the Dynamics of Science and Technology. Sociology of Science in the Real World. Houndmills: Macmillan, 19-34.

European Journal of Political Research, 1992

This paper is the product of a collaborative, comparative study of nine policy areas in British Government. It does not describe these several policy areas but summarises recent theoretical discussions in Britain of the concept of policy networks; provides a typology which encompasses the variety identified in the individual, detailed case studies; discusses a set of key problems in the analysis of networks; and identifies some directions for future research. Table l . Policy communities and policy networks: the Rhodes' model.

2012

Network approach in policy making, stresses on government dependencies on individuals, groups, and organizations that are in its frame of decision making. this research deals with the basic part and the necessity of dealing with the policy networks , all kinds of policy networks , the approaches of governmental encountering with policy making networks (I. o. organizational , interactive and instrumental approaches) have been discussed and studied then concluded that the chosen approach of governments in facing with policy making networks depends on those government power rates ; in sectors that the government is powerful , the duty groups , controller committees and work meditation groups encourage the independent thought and take a wide visual horizon that is required for compiling the policy. on the contrary in sectors that the government structure is weak , the majority of policy makers and top officials have their own specific domain and there aren't any organizations or references to relate their activities to and as a result the traditional methods of labor-division are used. Finally, at the end of this study we look at the three future orientations in policy networks areas, that is, rational choice, networks analysis, and case study.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

Information exchange in policy networks is usually attributed to preference similarity, influence reputation, social trust and institutional actor roles. We suggest that political opportunity structures and transaction costs play another crucial role and estimate a rich statistical network model on tie formation in the German toxic chemicals policy domain. The results indicate that the effect of preference similarity is absorbed by other determinants while opportunity structures indeed have to be taken into account. We also find that different types of information exchange operate in complementary, but not necessarily congruent, ways. * The authors wish to thank

2003

2 Political scientists who study policy making and policy change by means of an inductive approach often depict the process by which governments make their policies as being subdivided into a series of networks or communities. The main reason why the policymaking process is often depicted by political scientists as being subdivided into a series of networks or subsystems is that they have observed that it is not always the same interest groups that participate to the process by which a given government makes its policies. More precisely, political scientists have observed that policies that concern different fields or issues are usually made by a given government with the participation of different interest groups. For example, in the case of the Canadian federal government, it has been observed that the interest groups that usually participate to the process by which this government makes its policies concerning air transport are totally different from the ones that usually partici...

2003

2009