政策网络理论应用于我国公共治理的适用性分析

从20世纪70年代至今，政策网络理论从产生到备受争议再到不断发展完善直至成为政策科学领域的研究核心，显示出了巨大的理论价值，并成为人们对治理理论探索的新焦点。当前，对政策网络理论的应用主要有两种途径：一是作为政策过程的分析和描述工具；二是将之作为新的治理模式。分析作为治理模式的政策网络理论适用于我国当前公共治理的制约性因素，有利于将政策网络进一步应用于治理的机制创新。     

中国PPP政策工具选择及其选择模式研究——基于中央政策的文本分析

为深入了解我国PPP政策工具选择现状,基于政策工具视角,采用文本内容分析方法,以中央政府层面(2013-2017年)颁布的PPP政策文本为分析对象,从政策工具、政策目标、项目生命周期三个维度构建了PPP政策三维分析框架。研究发现:PPP政策工具选择偏好明显,在基本政策工具维度上偏重环境型政策工具,政策目标维度偏重PPP模式推广和合作环境营造,项目生命周期维度偏重项目采购与执行;PPP政策工具选择模式明显,具体表现为两种模式四条路径。     

“县”为单元的中层理论政策实施及分析框架

构建政策实施的中层理论，对深入理解和阐释我国政治过程的内在机制有重要意义，而中层理论建构的切入点之一是分析单元的恰当选择。我国治理现代化过程中对县域的聚焦，为“县”作为分析单元提供了可能性，但其在研究中尚处于典型而模糊的状态。反思既有研究可以发现：在政策执行研究中，需转换定位将县作为“独特整体”，而非地方/基层的典型代表；在政策试验研究中，则需从“局部试验”的思路转换为“单元试验”，把握县作为“试验单元”的价值。研究提炼了“县级独特性”和“县域整体性”两个核心维度，搭建了“县”为单元的政策实施分析框架，为新时代县域政策实施分析的推进提供了新视角与方法论参考，同时对整合经验发现以构建县为单元的中层理论、理解我国政策实施、解读国家治理与基层治理的关联具有借鉴意义。     

政策分析的价值取向研究

经过长期的政策实践,人们逐渐认识到传统政策分析理论的“价值中立学说”具有很强的主观臆断性,价值取向研究在政策分析当中的地位、作用也逐渐为政策分析学者们所关注。从政策分析的外部制度环境要求、政策分析者内在素质要求和政策分析的内外交互过程要求三方面进行探讨,有利于确立政策分析正确的价值取向,发挥出价值取向在政策分析中应有的作用,     

从政策网络到网络化治理:一组概念辨析

社会科学领域与网络有关的概念有多个,极易引起混淆.国外的研究主要沿着两条相对独立的路径演进,分别是政策网络和网络化治理.前者起源于美国发展于欧洲,后分化为利益调和和治理两大学派;后者则以美国的研究为主,在工商管理和公共管理领域都有所发展.国内与网络有关的概念使用频率较高的有社会网络、政策网络、政策网络治理、网络治理和网络化治理等.其中社会网络引入最早,主要被社会学领域的学者所关注;政策网络和政策网络治理与西方政策网络研究的两大学派相对应;网络治理与网络化治理的使用主要与翻译、学术传承以及使用习惯有关,但每个概念皆有三重来源.西方两条研究路径都涉及治理,而两种治理的内涵有明显区别,主要体现在运行机理、价值标准、主要问题以及政府的角色定位四个方面.     

风险社会中政策共识构建的路径：验证还是论证?

政策共识构建的具体路径有多种，但从思维方式出发可以划归为验证与论证两个类别。验证发生于封闭的组织体系之中与理性设计框架之下，运用实证主义方法和技术对政策诉求进行管理，对先验假设做出验证，最终聚合得出政策共识。验证采用了敛聚式的方式，能够保证政策共识构建的高效率和规范性，但却无法应对高度异质化与不确定性的政策问题，风险社会中政策共识构建需要做出论证转向。与验证不同，论证式的政策共识构建不囿于固有的结构与先验的目标，而是承认政策诉求在覆盖范围、内容走势、承载形式等方面的多样性与差异性，并基于开放和探索的路径寻求政策共识。论证式政策过程体现在政策学习、政策试验与政策调适等多种形式上。不过，尽管验证与论证之间存在张力，但二者并不完全排斥，相反，二者的整合才是政策共识构建的科学化道路。     

政策网络的两种分析途径及其影响

政策网络是运用网络主义来分析政策过程的一种理论框架。不同的学派对它有不一样的理解。在学术界都承认政策网络是一种在分析政策过程中利益集团与政府关系的方法基础上,分别从利益中介和治理两个不同的分析途径对政策网络进行研究。不同的分析途径导致了不同的研究方向,但是以上的分歧深化了对政策网络本身的深刻理解。     

农村低保政策实施效果评价与分析

公共政策实施效果是涵盖多方面的一个系统的概念。归纳起来,公共政策效果可以分为直接效果、附带效果和非预期效果三个方面,表现领域为经济、社会与文化等方面的效应。农村最低生活保障政策(简称"农村低保政策")作为一项多目标农村公共政策体系,政策绩效涉及经济、社会与文化等多方面。经济效果表现为:政府财政投入逐年加大;农村低保政策覆盖率与保障标准逐年提高。社会效果表现为:农村低保政策在实现城乡社会公平上发挥了积极作用;农村低保政策的实施彰显出政府责任,促进了社会稳定与和谐。文化效果表现为:农村低保政策的实施促进了社会救助制度的创新与发展;农村低保政策的实施推动了社会主义精神文明建设。一项公共政策的实施除了产生直接效果之外,还会产生一些附带效果与意外效果。需要进行多维度与多层面的评估与分析,从而科学、全面与客观地把握其政策实施的总体效果,以确保低保政策朝向政策目标运动。     

农村低保政策实施效果评价与分析

公共政策实施效果是涵盖多方面的一个系统的概念。归纳起来,公共政策效果可以分为直接效果、附带效果和非预期效果三个方面,表现领域为经济、社会与文化等方面的效应。农村最低生活保障政策(简称"农村低保政策")作为一项多目标农村公共政策体系,政策绩效涉及经济、社会与文化等多方面。经济效果表现为:政府财政投入逐年加大;农村低保政策覆盖率与保障标准逐年提高。社会效果表现为:农村低保政策在实现城乡社会公平上发挥了积极作用;农村低保政策的实施彰显出政府责任,促进了社会稳定与和谐。文化效果表现为:农村低保政策的实施促进了社会救助制度的创新与发展;农村低保政策的实施推动了社会主义精神文明建设。一项公共政策的实施除了产生直接效果之外,还会产生一些附带效果与意外效果。需要进行多维度与多层面的评估与分析,从而科学、全面与客观地把握其政策实施的总体效果,以确保低保政策朝向政策目标运动。     

试论政策评估的焦点及其标准

政策评估应该聚焦于什么内容与政策评估有哪些标准，这是政策评估中两个最为重要的问题。政策评估不是“数豆子的游戏”，它针对的是政策影响而非政策输出。政策评估关注的是政策结果带来的影响。政策评估标准基于多维理性，这些标准主要包括政策效益、政策效率、充分性、公平性、回应性和适当性。政策评估的公平性标准更是涉及个人福利最大化、保障最低福利、净福利最大化、再分配福利最大化的公平思路，阿罗悖论、阿马蒂亚·森选择模式、帕累托标准、卡尔多-希克斯标准、罗尔斯的差别原则等为政策评估的公平性标准提供了有益借鉴。     

The Policy Effects of Internationalization: A Subsystem Adjustment Analysis of Policy Change

This article contributes to a better understanding of contemporary policy analysis and management by setting out the parameters for analyzing policy change induced by internationalization. It first maps the dynamics of policy change in domestic settings and then explores how internationalization has affected the dynamics identified. The central proposition of the article is that internationalization promotes the restructuring of policy subsystems in such as way as to form hospitable circumstances for swifter and deeper policy changes than would otherwise be the case. However, the analysis suggests that this is a two-stage process in that once its initial impact is felt, internationalization serves to entrench and stabilize reconstructed policy systems, thus constraining the scope for further change.     

The Social Psychology of Policy Analysis

This article illustrates how some of the core concepts of social psychology can increase understanding of the practice of policy analysis. Policy analysis is shown to be a form of rhetoric subject to social psychological principles of attitude change. The article argues that policy analysts are primarily concerned with changing policymakers' beliefs about the consequences of alternative policies, but that preferences for alternative policies are largely the result of values. Values are formed and modified primarily by social comparison processes, conformity pressures, and the dynamics of group decision making rather than by rational argument. As a result, policy analysts could become more effective by addressing issues of values in their analyses or by mediating the social processes that might interfere with good policy choices.     

Policy Stalemate and Policy Change in Israel's Water Sector 1970–2010: Advocacy Coalitions and Policy Narratives

This paper seeks to explain policy stalemates that persist despite recognition of their risks and damages, as well as the factors and processes that enable a breakthrough and lead to policy change. The paper seeks to fill a gap in the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) theory by supplementing it with Narrative Analysis (NA). We claim that NA provides a link missing in the ACF that is required for the transformation of “necessary” conditions—like external and internal shocks to the system—into “sufficient” conditions for policy persistence or change. We use the ACF to delineate coalition members and their belief systems and policy positions, as well as external, internal, and structural shocks to the system. We rely on NA to analyze the narratives employed in the public arena, which turn conditions necessary both for hurting stalemates and for policy change into sufficient conditions. We illustrate the benefits of combining the two approaches through a study of Israel's water policy during four decades (1970s–2000s) based on government records and on information from interviews with key players.     

A Comparative Assessment of Elite Policy Recruits in Canada

Recent case studies and large-N survey evidence has confirmed long-suspected shortages of public sector “policy capacity”. Studies have found that government policy workers in various jurisdictions differ considerably with respect to types of policy work they undertake, and have identified uneven capacity for policy workers to access and apply technical and scientific knowledge to public issues. This suggests considerable difficulties for government’s ability to meet contemporary policy and governance challenges. Despite growing attention to these matters, studies have not examined the “elite” policy workers many governments recruit to address these capacity shortages. Using an established survey instrument, this study of two Canadian recruitment programs provides the first comparative analysis of elite policy recruits, as policy workers. Three research questions anchor the study: (1) What is the profile of these actors? (2) What types of policy work do “elite” policy analysts actually engage in? (3) How does their policy work compare by recruitment program? The article provides fresh comparative data on the nature of elite policy work and policy analytical capacity, but, more importantly, a crucial baseline for future comparative study of how elite recruitment may facilitate “supply-side” capacity gains expected from recruitment programs.     

Institutional Change Through Policy Learning: The Case of the European Commission and Research Policy

Research initiatives to enhance knowledge‐based societies demand regionally coordinated policy approaches. By analyzing the case of the European Commission, Directorate‐General Research and Innovation, this study focuses on examining the cognitive mechanisms that form the foundation for institutional transformations and result in leadership positions in regional governance. Drawing on policy learning theories, the study emphasizes specific mechanisms of institutional change that are often less noticeable but can gradually lead to mobilizing diverse groups of stakeholders. Through historical and empirical data, this study shows the importance of policy learning through communication processes, Open Method of Coordination initiatives, and issue framing in creating a stronger foundation for policy coordination in European research policy since the 2000s.     

The Australian Environmental Policy Agenda

This paper seeks to identify major shifts in the Australian environmental policy agenda over the past fifty years, and discusses the possible causes of and variables affecting agenda change. The issue of what comprises ‘environment’ policy is discussed, with reference to overlaps and intersections with other policy sectors such as agriculture, public health, energy and regional affairs. While the diversity of the environment policy domain complicates any analysis of trends, there have been two persistent trends of (i) an expansion from a more narrowly to a more broadly defined suite of issue (from environment to sustainable development) and incorporation of environment into natural resource management, and (ii) an increasing diversity of policy instruments being used. Consistent with the wide variety of issues confronted, pragmatism and convenience are often as influential as political ideology or underlying trajectories. The drivers of policy change are diverse, including biophysical factors such as drought, political leaders and international policy developments, and punctuations are often better interpreted as intensification or redirections of past policy trajectories.     

Success and Failure in Environment Policy: The Role of Policy Officials

This paper reports on interviews conducted between 2010 and 2013 with senior officials involved in Australian federal environmental policies over the past 30 years. It examines whether they have a prior sense of whether an environment policy is likely to succeed and their experience of the key factors driving environment policy success. Most interviewees claimed a strong prior sense of policy outcomes, but their expression of the key factors indicating success (consultation, clear objectives, a clear mandate, and a strong evidence base) varies from the usual emphases found in the public policy literature. The research illuminates the ways in which the policy officials at times exert a greater role than that suggested by the Westminster conventions or the policy theory literature. Not emphasised in the literature, yet pivotal for success in the vexed space of environmental policy, was the self‐directed yet at times skilful policy ‘agency’ exhibited by officials.     

Policy Failure and Policy Learning: Examining the Conditions of Learning after Disaster

The policy learning literature indicates that governments can and do learn after a policy failure but not always. The purpose of this study is to examine the conditions under which policy failure leads to policy learning. It asks two questions. First, is policy failure associated with policy learning? Second, if policy is associated with policy learning, does the failure initiate different types of learning? Using the policy failure and learning literatures as an organizing framework, this paper analyzes three comparative cases of policy failure revealed by tornados in Greensburg, Kansas (2007); Joplin, Missouri (2011); and Moore, Oklahoma (2013). It finds that failure of the policy process in agenda setting is associated with instrumental policy learning. It also finds that there are two types of failure of decision making: failure to make a timely decision and failure to make any decision. The two types of decision‐making failure are associated with different types of policy learning. In addition, the contextual factors underpinning the link between policy failure and learning are prior experience with the policy problem and capacity to learn.     

欧盟环境政策实施初探

经过30多年的努力,欧盟环境政策从产生到发展,不断拓展了环境保护的领域和视野。其广泛细致的环境立法、持续有效的环境行动计划和多元灵活的政策实施手段,是政策体系完善和政策实施效果的有力保证。本文简要介绍了欧盟环境政策的概念和发展历程,并试图从多方面分析欧盟环境政策得以成功实施的原因,着重介绍和分析了欧盟环境政策的多元化实施机制,以期为我国环境法的实施提供借鉴经验。     

Policy Entrepreneurs,Issue Experts,and Water Rights Policy Change in Colorado

Policy entrepreneurs can influence policy changes and decisions. These people invest their time, knowledge, and skills into promoting policies with which they agree. This paper investigates the influence that entrepreneurs had in the case of recreational water rights policy in Colorado to build a model of policy entrepreneurship. Almost 20 Colorado communities have constructed white‐water kayak courses to boost their local economies. In twelve of these communities, construction was followed by community pursuit of a new form of water right—the recreational in‐channel diversion. This case study is relevant to many areas of environmental policy and management where policies are transitioning from traditional consumptive uses of the resource to nonconsumptive uses. This policy change was not a given in Colorado communities, with recreational water rights requiring significant investments of community resources. These research findings conclude that policy entrepreneurs were influential to policy change, but the most important actors were expert entrepreneurs who hold expertise in water resource matters.