Research into the European Union (EU) increasingly focuses on the policy-making processes which take place within the EU, as distinct from trying to explain or predict the broad phenomenon of European integration. This thesis adopts a similar focus on EU policy-making. Policy-making in the EU is examined using a policy network approach. The main aim of the thesis is to assess how useful the policy network approach is as a means of explaining EU policy processes and policy outputs. The policy network approach is therefore applied not simply as a mechanism for describing patterns of interest intermediation but, rather, as a tool for explaining a new form of network governance in the EU. The thesis therefore aims to test the claims of the policy network literature that it can better account for policy-making in the EU than can more traditional approaches derived either from international relations (IR) or comparative politics (CP). The thesis applies a policy network approach to the study of EU environmental policy-making. Three case studies - on air quality, landfill and drinking water legislation - are examined, in order to assess whether a policy network approach can help explain the development of EU policy in these areas. Overall the thesis finds a useful role for policy network analysis in helping to explain EU policymaking and policy outputs. At the same time, however, the thesis confirms the limitations of the policy network approach at EU-level. Policy network analysis must therefore be combined with both IR and CP approaches in order to gain a fuller understanding of how EU policy is made.

The research focused on public policy implementation, unintended consequences of government action and policy mess, using the particular example of West Lothian College's Private Finance Initiative procured Livingstone campus as a case study. A public policy change led to the college becoming financially insecure, undermined the college's business case and the the college's ability to meet its contractual and financial obligations. If left unresolved, the college would have run out of money, defaulted on the contract and threatened the very existence of the institution. The college estate was taken into public ownership as the result of a negotiated settlement with the private sector owners of the campus. The importance of the research lay in adding to the body of knowledge around public policy implementation theory, which is not well researched or understood in the context of further education. The research design led to an in-depth interpretive, instrumental, single case study that explored, described and explained public policy implementation from the perspective of participants in a public policy network. The techniques of semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis were used. Using a policy networks approach, the research identified: how policy gets modified; how unintended consequences arose; how the unintended consequences resulted in policy mess; what policy learning took place as a result of policy mess; what policy change occurred as a result of policy mess; my role as an interested researcher and agent of change in the situation. In the West Lothian College case it was found that an ensemble of public policy had been at play rather than simply one policy. This ensemble of top-down policies comprised the UK-wide private finance initiative and two Scotland-wide further education funding policies. The research was timely as the literature suggests that policy networks are increasingly identified as an important governance mechanism in the areas of public policy implementation and new public management. The findings show that in respect of the West Lothian College case, networks have reconfigured relationship between government and other actors. They have also linked previously separate central, vertical, policy makers with an array of horizontal policy implementation actors.

This dissertation suggests that network governance theory may have reached an impasse, and in order to pursue its advance, new methods need to be used. It tests the viability of actor-network theory on providing new insights on network governance, which could contribute to the strengthening of network governance theory. The author suggests that actor-network theory may offer both an epistemology and ontology that intents to not impose current definitions and divisions of traditional social science. By doing so, actor-network theory focuses on the performance of associations rather than on the traditional categories of structures, institutions, individuals or groups -- characteristic of most network governance studies. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this dissertation is the delineation of a new approach, or, more precisely, a new "role" and "methodological system," for those persons engaged in building and managing multi-actor structures, or "networks," for the purpose of policy implementation. As policy formulation and implementation can be viewed increasingly as taking place inter-organizationally, and consisting of individuals, special-interest groups, public organizations, private organizations, non-profits, etc., none of whom have the individual power to autonomously determine the strategies and actions of all the other actors, policy processes can no longer be viewed as the implementation of ex ante formulated goals, but instead must be seen as an interaction process in which actors exchange information about problems, preferences and means, and trade-off goals and resources. That is, the context of "getting things done" in the public sector is changing from a singular organizational context to a multiple-organization network context. Managerially, we must respond accordingly. While there has been an increasing recognition in the literatures of at least three distinct fields of enquiry [political science, organization theory, and policy science] that such networks are becoming the "reality" of daily operation, much less has been written attempting to aid the acting administrator to function successfully within this new setting. Even less has been written concerning how to actually build and use a network setting to one's advantage in an implementation endeavor. We are left in need of a new way to successfully approach implementation through complex multi-actor settings. As it becomes increasingly difficult to administer policy implementation through a single, public organization, the need for new tools and understanding that will enable us to achieve public ends in such complex settings becomes apparent. Such an approach must work to successfully accommodate the increased role of extra-organizational actors, a new role of the administrator as "network facilitator," and still afford the ability to plan for and carry out project implementation. Because the invention of such an approach will require the accommodation of a different view of the administrative world (i.e. a more dynamic context, ephemeral definitions, new roles and responsibilities, and a new method to approaching work life), its development cannot constitute a straightforward reshuffling of the boxes of the administrative process, or the simple adoption of some new buzzwords. It demands, instead, that we begin by asking some fundamental ontological (what is reality) and epistemological (how can we know it) questions. It is after addressing these fundamental concerns that this volume will work to build a new approach to functioning proactively in a network setting. Following a discussion on what the role of "network facilitator" means in relation to current understanding of public management, this treatise will describe a new methodological system for use by the administrator playing such a role. The "methodological system" for building implementation networks that is advocated here is composed of three overlapping methodologies: 1) "Contextual Assessment" - Mapping a Network's Political-Economy; 2) "Stakeholder Analysis & Management" — Understanding Who Should be at the Table and Furthering the Conditions for Cooperation; and, 3) "Joint Visioning" " The Facilitation of Project Planning in a Network Setting. In the chapter on "contextual assessment," the reader will be introduced to a method that uses the political economy framework of Wamsley and Zald to derive an interview instrument for use by a recently appointed network facilitator (somebody appointed the responsibility of "getting something done" cross-organizationally). Combining the political economic framework with other standard qualitative methods, including gaining entrance, selecting interview type, snowballing, and quota sampling, one should be able to assess the existing political and economic environment surrounding a potential implementation network and, further, begin to select from that environment a first set of stakeholders in the budding implementation network. This method will result in a "conceptual mapping" of the environment from which one may begin to select potential resources to build an implementation network. Following that, the reader will be introduced to two methods, that when used together, will allow for the analysis, categorization, and selection of network stakeholders. Taken together, these methods can be referred to as "stakeholder analysis." It is the successful selection and management of these stakeholders that will result in the formation of a young implementation network. Finally, the reader will be introduced to a method of "joint-visioning," a process for working with a set of stakeholders to create a shared understanding of the social/organizational and technical/functional systems required for a new implementation network to function. While the theoretical conception here of joint-visioning is new, the techniques suggested to support this method are probably the least original of the techniques associated with the three methods introduced in this volume (in that they are based on recognized methods of group facilitation). The joint-visioning method proposed here is probably most remarkable for what it is not, corporate strategic planning. A discussion about the problems of adopting corporate strategic planning in the public sector will begin this section, followed by a discussion of why something else, like joint visioning, is probably more appropriate. Each methodology has been constructed from the ground up by appropriating parts of different methodologies that have been advocated in different areas of application. Specifically, methods, approaches, and understandings have been appropriated from the literatures of corporate management, stakeholder analysis, action research, political economy, community facilitation, knowledge engineering and management, and strategic planning. These methods have been combined and modified to better serve as tools for network establishment and management. This methodological system has been developed as much from experience as from scholarly analysis. Accordingly, a case study, one that has directly led to the development of many concepts in this system, will be discussed and used for "real-world" elaboration of the concepts described. Specifically, each of these methods will be accompanied by an in-depth discussion on how it was applied in the "Travel Shenandoah" case study. Benefits, as well as problems with the proposed methods will be highlighted. Where appropriate, possible modifications to a method will be suggested. / Ph. D.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:51:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PamelaMB.pdf: 1623623 bytes, checksum: 28d259510491b304e6a430ad385fc8e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The dissertation examines the influence of relationships among actors from Brazilian Tourism Political Network who compose the National Council of Tourism in the drafting of the National Tourism Plans (PNT) - PNTs 2003/2007 and 2007/2010, focusing on two main types of interaction: cooperation and information exchange. Therefore, the study departed from the understanding that the concept of tourism as a human phenomenon is configured as an essential conceptual basis for the development, implementation and analysis of public policies. The application of Network Theory and Social Network Analysis serves as an analytical tool, in addition, the use of concepts of Policy Networks enabled to interpret, in distinct aspects, the social reality of tourism in a more precise and detailed way. The study had a cross-sectional with a longitudinal perspective and case study was adopted, thus enabling to apply the model of social network analysis and qualitative approach. Through the survey conducted, it was found that the drafting process of National Tourism Plans was the result of the interaction of a complex network of actors from public and private initiatives, who compose the National Council of Tourism, and that their power of influence came out simultaneously, but not symmetrically, for both their performance/intervention in the meetings, and the possession of economic and organizational resources. Hence, the establishment of partnerships and information exchanges among the actors were underlying to the PNT drafting process, both in problems perception and insertion in the government agenda, as in making proposals to solve them, thus guiding the construction of large programs and programs contained in both investigated plans. / A disserta??o analisa a influ?ncia das rela??es entre atores da Rede Pol?tica do Turismo Brasileiro que comp?em o Conselho Nacional de Turismo no processo de elabora??o dos Planos Nacionais de Turismo (PNT 2003/2007 e PNT 2007/2010), centrando-se em dois principais tipos de intera??o: coopera??o e interc?mbio de informa??es. Para tanto, o estudo parte do entendimento de que a concep??o do turismo como um fen?meno humano, conforma-se como uma base conceitual imprescind?vel para a elabora??o, implementa??o e an?lise de suas pol?ticas p?blicas. A aplica??o da Teoria de Redes e da An?lise de Redes Sociais, funciona como uma ferramenta anal?tica, al?m disso, o uso dos conceitos de Rede Pol?tica (Policy Networks), permitiram interpretar por meio de aspectos diferenciados, a realidade social presente no turismo de forma mais precisa e detalhada. O estudo teve um corte seccional com perspectiva longitudinal e adotou o estudo de caso, permitindo aplicar o modelo de an?lise de redes sociais e a abordagem qualitativa. Atrav?s da pesquisa realizada, constatou-se que o processo de elabora??o dos Planos Nacionais de Turismo foi resultado da intera??o de uma complexa rede de atores p?blicos e privados, os quais comp?em o Conselho Nacional de Turismo, e que o poder de influ?ncia deles se deu simultaneamente, mas n?o simetricamente, pela sua atua??o/ interven??o nas reuni?es, e pela posse de recursos econ?micos e organizacionais. Assim sendo, o estabelecimento de parcerias e as trocas de informa??es entre os atores foram subjacentes ao processo de elabora??o dos PNTs, tanto na percep??o e inser??o de problemas na agenda governamental, quanto na realiza??o de propostas que os solucionassem, norteando assim a constru??o dos macroprogramas e programas contidos em ambos os planos investigados.

Lokale Politiknetzwerke werden sowohl in der öffentlichen Sozialstaatsdebatte als auch in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung als vielversprechende Instrumente zur Optimierung von Wohlfahrtsmärkten propagiert. So auch in der Diskussion um den deutschen Pflegemarkt und seine Steuerungsdefizite. Im Gegensatz zu den mit dem Steuerungsinstrument Pflegekonferenz verknüpften Erwartungen, sind dessen genaues Steuerungspotential und mögliche Erklärungsfaktoren bisher jedoch nicht systematisch untersucht worden. Den methodologischen Kern dieser Arbeit bilden eine strukturelle Politikfeldanalyse des deutschen Pflegemarktes in Kombination mit einer empirischen Einzelfallstudie zu den Steuerungsleistungen einer Pflegekonferenz. Grundlage ist ein spezifisches Analyseraster auf Basis des akteurzentrierten Institutionalismus, welches die Aufmerksamkeit in der Analyse der Erklärungsfaktoren auf die Kombination der Koordinationsinstrumente Markt und Netzwerk sowie die Ausgestaltung des institutionellen Rahmens durch Gesetzgebung und Selbstverwaltung lenken soll. Im Rahmen der empirischen Erhebung konnten kaum direkte und nur wenige indirekte Steuerungsleistungen nachgewiesen werden. Als Ergebnis der Analyse lässt sich festhalten, dass lokale Politiknetzwerke im Umfeld des deutschen Pflegemarktes grundsätzlich mit erheblichen Herausforderungen hinsichtlich ihrer Steuerungsfunktion zu kämpfen haben. Dies lässt sich zum einen darauf zurückführen, dass ein gemeinsames Steuerungsinteresse der Akteure nur in wenigen Bereichen vorhanden ist, da die Grundbedingung der Interdependenz selten gegeben ist und auch nur sehr eingeschränkt innerhalb von Pflegekonferenzen entwickelt werden kann. Zum anderen sind die steuerungsrelevanten Handlungsressourcen oftmals lokal nicht verfügbar, wodurch erschwerend die Steuerungsmöglichkeiten eingeschränkt werden. Je nach Steuerungsbereich sind diese Faktoren jedoch verschieden ausgeprägt, sodass sich unterschiedliche Steuerungspotentiale ergeben. / In the public and scientific welfare state debate local policy-networks are propagated as suitable means for strengthening the governance of welfare markets. The same applies to the debate on the German long-term care market and its deficiencies. In contrast to its prominence in the discussion, neither the governance-potential of so-called “care conferences” nor its explaining factors have thus far been systematically analyzed. At the heart of this thesis lies a structural policy-analysis in combination with an empirical single-case study, whereby the institutional design of the German long-term care market is used to explain the performance of a best-practice care conference. An analytical framework based on the actor-centered institutionalism serves as a basis for the analysis. Attention is thus focused on the combination of market and network modes of coordination as well as on the design of the institutional framework of the policy field through legislation and self-government. The evaluation of the care conference showed hardly any direct network-governance and only few indirect governance-results. In the course of the analysis this could be explained by a lack of common interest in collective governance, as the precondition of interdependence between the network-actors is often lacking and difficult to develop within the conferences. Furthermore the collective capability to govern local long-term care markets is in many cases limited, as the necessary institutional resources are seldom locally available. Depending on the area of governance, the influence of both factors varies so that care conferences offer differing governance-potentials. In conclusion care conferences struggle with their governance-function, since the institutional framework and the market leave little room for local network-governance.

The current organisational framework of public policy management offers a powerful tool that of network management. Policy network theory revolves around the idea that no one can work in isolation, and therefore, the notion of interdependency between different organisations becomes very important in order to achieve policy goals efficiently and with efficacy. This encompasses the interactive relationship that is based on information sharing as well as resources. The assumption behind policy network is that nobody is an expert in everything, and nobody has sufficient resources to address every problem. The concept of interdependence entails the co-operation and collaboration of various autonomous actors who have different interests and yet collaborate to achieve certain policy objectives. There is then a need to build "bridges" to facilitate these interactions. The size and scope of policy networks depend on the nature of each policy and the context in which it is formulated, implemented and evaluated. Environmental networks in South Africa, and especially in Pietermaritzburg, has been utilised in order to address the problem of environmental management. The Keep Pietermaritzburg Clean Association has been instrumental in implementing waste management programmes using a policy network strategy. This research focuses on one such programme "Adopt a Spot". Here there are 123 stakeholders all with the aim to beautifying P ietermaritzburg. This research indicates the usefulness of policy networks particularly as an instrument to facilitate policy implementation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

This study investigates the challenges and benefits of policy networks. It focuses specifically on the experiences of the Centre for Crimlnal Justice, examining the challenges and benefits it experiences in its networks. In spite of the widely applauded benefits of networks in this study and in other publications, findings from this study still highlight the challenges of networks in labour policy implementation. The study reveals that the element of diversity and the complicated nature of networks' management threaten networks' ability to realize their objectives. The lack of binding regulations and managerial structures in certain networks reveals the drawback in networks' management. Firstly, it raises questions about the legitimacy of any self-initiated coordination in networks since such might not be formally accepted by network members. Secondly, the thesis argues that the lack of binding regulations in some networks deepen the likelihood of uncooperative attitude among actors, especially when it suits them, given that there are no defined consequences for their actions. Other findings in this study draw attention to the operational conflict between the vertical and lateral-minded members of a network. This discusses the question of methodological disagreement between actors of contrasting view points in the execution of certain tasks. Finally, the thesis looks at the question of actors' autonomy in a network. It argues that threats to actors' autonomy or dignity could promote lack of commitment from network members, neglect of responsibility and the possible breakdown of the network if such issues are not properly addressed. In summary, though networks are ideal tools for policy implementation and service delivery in contemporary society, they nevertheless have their challenges. Hence the study concludes with an invitation for proper acknowledgement of the challenges in the process of networks and the need for further studies in this field to enhance the effectiveness of networks in implementation processes.

This study is a policy network analysis of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) in Ethiopia. The CAADP is a NEPAD initiative aimed at promoting policy interventions that will address the agricultural crisis in Africa. This dissertation argues that policy networks are regarded as a tool for and a structure of public policy making and implementation, and assume such attributes as exchanges of resources, interdependence among stakeholders that can be formal or informal. Its formation arises from a realisation that single bureaucratic governments are ineffective hence the need to seek mutually beneficial solutions, share information, gain support and legitimacy through association with other agencies. A policy network analysis of the CAADP has revealed that relationships among the CAADP policy network partners are typically collaborative, complex, reciprocal, and trust based. Therefore, the implementation of the CAADP take place through what would be termed „networked governance‟ – where stakeholders share common policy objectives aimed at reducing hunger and starvation as well as increasing economic development through a range of collaborative efforts among government, private and civic organisations. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

The aim of this thesis is to understand the decision-making processes concerning ice-breaking along the coast of Norrland, with the specific aim to analyse the activities of regional interest groups in the Norrland region and government agents at different administrative levels at the key stages of the decision-making processes: initiation, drafting and decision-making. The thesis also explores how institutional factors at different administrative levels affected the agents that were involved at those stages of the decision-making processes. As navigation along the northern Swedish coast must negotiate winter conditions which causes ports to freeze over, the government ice-breaking service functions as an instrument to compensate the export firms in Norrland for these constrains. Year-round navigation in the north Swedish coastal waters was achieved through a series of decision-making processes that took place during the period from 1940 to 1975. These decision-making processes are important to study since ice-breaking was an integrated component of the expanding heavy basic industries in Norrland and thereby for the rapidly growing exports during the 1950s and 1960s. This period is the decisive point in the economic history of the Norrland region regarding how the natural resources should be exploited and how exports should be advanced. This study concludes that the decision-making processes were initiated by government agents at different administrative levels. Official investigatory commissions were set up at several occasions to deal with issues related to the government ice-breaker service by the ministries responsible for ice-breaker policy. It is also demonstrated that the decision-making processes concerning ice-breaker investments were initiated by the government boards that were responsible for the operation of the ice-breaker service. In this respect, the study concludes that the government activities during the initiation stages should not be confused as a sign of regional interest group passivity on these issues. The activities of the interest groups during the initiation stages were primarily intended to draw attention to the problems caused by winter to regional shipping, in order to put the issue on the political agenda. As the decision-making processes proceeded into the drafting stages, the participation from regional interest groups was much more significant as the government offered interest groups forums and procedures for structural consulting through various organisational arrangements. The regional interest groups that participated in those arrangements were industrial firms in the heavy basic industries sector. In those cases other regional interest groups participated, they would promote the interests of those firms. As a result, the final drafts from committees and government bodies included arguments that favoured an expansion of ice-breaking to promote the growth of the heavy basic industries in the Norrland region. The analysis of the decision-making stages suggests that a combination of institutional factors at different administrative levels contributed to the outcome of the decision-making processes. One result is that the general aims of macro policy such as trade policy, growth policy and regional development policy were favourable towards an expansion of the government ice-breaker service, which would benefit the export industries in the Norrland region. Another result is that the sectoral organization within the government maritime bodies contributed significantly to the outcome of the decision-making processes. Large-scale planning and operational experimentation was allowed to take place within the ice-breaker service, which convinced the government that ice-breaking and winter navigation was a feasible transport alternative.