Policy Networks y Politica Farmaceutica
In: Revista española de ciencia política, Heft 4, S. 123-148
ISSN: 1575-6548
This article analyses continuity & change in two areas related to pharmaceutical: industrial policy & control of public expenditure. In both cases, the adoption of a new policy paradigm is preceded by a significant institutional change which transforms the distribution of power of actors involved. But the strategy adopted in both areas to carry out policy change is significantly different. This article argues that policy change is mediated by policy networks, offering a complementary explanation of Hall's model of policy change. The adoption of a new policy paradigm in pharmaceutical industrial policy is the result of a gradual process through which state & business actors define their strategies in order to preserve their interests, while adapting to the new political & economic context. In contrast, cost-containment policy is the result of a politicized debate in which a large number of actors are involved. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.