Political elites, ideas and public policy

This chapter provides a contemporary review of the ideational approach to policy studies with a focus on the particular roles of elites. In recent decades a burgeoning literature has explored the role of ideas in public policy processes. In this analytical approach, policy elites – decision-makers, experts and specialists – emerge as crucial actors who connect macro-level ideologies with more applied policy ideas. In addition, elites are protagonists in the spatial movement of ideas, both between hierarchies of polity and between policy sectors within the same political system. Reflecting on existing knowledge, the conclusion sketches avenues of future research.