An Institutional Approach to the Theory of Policy-Making: The Role of Guidance Mechanisms in Policy Formulation

Stephen H. Linder and B. Guy Peters

Journal of Theoretical Politics, 1990, vol. 2, issue 1, 59-83

Abstract: The premise of this paper is that the revision of the stages metaphor for the public policy-making process is best undertaken from an institutional rather than individualist approach to analysis. The theoretical linkage between policy formulation and information - including feedback about performance at other stages as well as the results of social research - is mediated at the level of the policy formulating institution by complex learning and adaptation processes. Together these processes constitute a guidance mechanism for managing error and making course corrections. Different types of mechanisms, however, will admit different kinds of information which, in turn, will condition how the institution adapts to changing circumstances. The analytical features of guidance mechanisms are related to knowledge utilization, normative theories of policy-making and implementation, and to policy design.

Keywords: policy formulation; organization learning; policy design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1990
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0951692890002001003 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:2:y:1990:i:1:p:59-83

DOI: 10.1177/0951692890002001003

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Theoretical Politics
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().