Unit 4: (Week 07 & Week 08) Models and Theories for Understanding Policy

Both the theory and the practice of policy work are central to the broad field of ‘policy studies’. The various sub-fields of policy studies have together produced a vast ocean of theoretical and empirical literature. It is only possible for us in words of Maddison et al (2009) to dip our toe into that ocean here, but in doing so we will provide an overview of the key theoretical concerns that have preoccupied the field.This unit build on the discussion in the previus units and considered policy as authorised choice and policy as structured interaction to look at some theoretical approaches to understanding how policy is made. The most influential of these approaches is what is known as the policy process model. The first half of this unit provide an outline of this model and address its uses and shortcomings for those engaging in policy work. The second half of this unit outline some of the key theoretical tools that are needed in order to develop a richer understanding of the policy process. 

Week 7: Lecture 7

  • Rationalism and incrementalism
  • The policy process model
  • The policy cycle: Theory or model

Week 8: Lecture 8

  • Theory and policy
  • Individualistic policies
  • Group theories
  • Structural theories

Required Reading:

Spicker, P. (2014), Social Policy: Theory and Practice. Policy Press: UK

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