Does Politics Cause Policy? Does Policy Cause Politics?

This chapter explores the two of the most dominant and long-standing frameworks in the field of policy studies: the stages model and policy typologies. The stages model conceives of public policy as the product of the linear progression of political events. Problems are put on the agenda, there is debate over potential solutions, legislatures adopt alternatives on the basis of practical or partisan favor, bureaucracies implement them, and some impact is felt on the real world. Scholars have continued to redefine what are the core stages to the policy process, a process complicated by “policy learning” and feedback loops. For some, the stages model is less a model than evidence of “conceptual stretching.” The typology framework was an attempt to redefine how policy and political scientists conceptualize the process of policymaking. Moreover, it was a bold attempt to put the discipline of public policy at the forefront of the study of politics. The emphasis on policy classification, though justified, has slowed theory development. The typology framework is also static, ignoring the evolution of policies and political dynamics. Brian Cook notes that “the focus should instead be on how policy ideas shape policymaker expectations and the patterns of politics that result, especially which types of political actors are empowered.” Despite the challenges with policy classification, recent empirical work suggests that changes in the policy process since the 1970s suggest that the typology framework may still have some descriptive value when it comes to the relationship between politics and public policy.