Suchergebnisse

In discussing policy network approaches & the limited use of power, this chapter examines two forms of network analysis: "change within policy networks" & "networks as a result of change." It then expands on the concept of power. Of particular interest is the idea that an analysis that focuses only on the policy network fails to completely explain policy making & governance changes when the nation-state model is experiencing intense change. Therefore, a three-step theory of power, motivated by numerous scholarly works, is employed. It is hoped that an emphasis on agency & structure will result in the emergence of a more advanced conceptualization of the power of policy making & governance. In addition, a policy network approach will encourage the "change of focus" necessary to secure an adequate explanation for the changes that affect society in general. 1 Figure. K. A. Larsen

IN ADDITION TO THE WELL-KNOWN PROGRAMME FOR FLOOD PROTECTION, DUTCH WATER POLICY CONSISTS OF TWO MAIN SUBSECTORS; WATER SUPPLY AND GROUND WATER PROTECTION, AND SURFACE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT. IN THIS CONTRIBUTION SPECIAL ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE CHARACTERISATION OF THESE SUBSECTORS USING TWO NETWORK VARIABLES; MUTUAL COMMITMENT AND INTERRELATEDNESS. THE DYNAMICS OF CHANGE OF THESE FEATURES AND THEIR RELATION WITH POLICY OPPORTUNITIES ARE EXAMINED, THE WATER SUPPLY SECTOR WAS AMALGATED INTO LARGER COMPANIES AND DEVELOPED MORE COOPERATION AS A RESULT OF THE PRESSURE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE, WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE PUMPING AND BILLING. THOUGH THE SECTOR IN A SENSE BECAME MORE INTEGRATED, THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASED NEED TO DO BUSINESS WITH OTHER INTERESTS, SUCH AS AGRICULTURE. THE SURFACE WATER QUALITY SUBSECTOR ALSO MOVED FROM A VERY INTEGRATED COMMUNITY INTO A MORE OPEN STRUCTURE. THIS OPENNESS IS, HOWEVER, TO A LARGE EXTENT ORGANIZED BY THE SECTOR ITSELF, BY INCORPORATING OTHER INTERESTS IN THEIR COUNCILS AND COMMITTEES. BOTH SUBSECTORS INCREASINGLY ADOPT A CONSENSUAL APPROACH IN DEALING WITH THESE OTHER INTERESTS.

This chapter analyzes the networks of education politics in the four main selected countries [Germany, Switzerland, England and New Zealand]. It indicates that despite apparent changes in education policy the modes of political interaction, that is, actors and processes, have remained considerably stable in all countries. Obviously, the internationalization of education politics has not triggered the displacement of domestic actors, but has resulted in the attachment of international actors to the domestic sphere. (DIPF/Orig.).

The author assesses the theoretical & methodological utility of concepts of policy network analysis. He focuses on David Marsh & Martin J. Smith's (2001) dialectical approach to policy study, which aspires to resolve the limitations of overly abstract megalevel theories as well as those of microlevel theories that tend to overly localize policy study. However, Marsh & Smith's approach has its own limitations in that, primarily, it is insufficiently dialectical. The author endorses the dynamic, pluralistic, & nontotalizing potential of the dialectical model & urges its further theoretic refinement. 2 Figures, 16 References. K. Coddon