Policy feedback and pathways: when change leads to endurance and continuity to change

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

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Policy feedback and pathways : when change leads to endurance and continuity to change. / Daugbjerg, Carsten; Kay, Adrian.

In: Policy Sciences, Vol. 53, 2020, p. 253–268.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Daugbjerg, C & Kay, A 2020, 'Policy feedback and pathways: when change leads to endurance and continuity to change', Policy Sciences, vol. 53, pp. 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y

APA

Daugbjerg, C., & Kay, A. (2020). Policy feedback and pathways: when change leads to endurance and continuity to change. Policy Sciences, 53, 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y

Vancouver

Daugbjerg C, Kay A. Policy feedback and pathways: when change leads to endurance and continuity to change. Policy Sciences. 2020;53:253–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y

Author

Daugbjerg, Carsten ; Kay, Adrian. / Policy feedback and pathways : when change leads to endurance and continuity to change. In: Policy Sciences. 2020 ; Vol. 53. pp. 253–268.

Bibtex

@article{d33852c111614c559ff3ec6464889ea6,
title = "Policy feedback and pathways: when change leads to endurance and continuity to change",
abstract = "The policy feedback literature was initially concerned with explaining how positive feedback could lead to self-reinforcing policy trajectories. More recently, policy scholars have devoted more attention to negative feedbacks which can result in self-undermining policy trajectories. This article moves beyond these two well-known pathways to policy endurance and change by conceptually outlining two additional pathways to endurance and change. We argue that positive and negative feedback may be observed simultaneously within the same policy trajectory. The existing literature fails to distinguish adequately between policy feedback processes operating at the ideational and instrument levels of policy. We outline a pathway to endurance in which negative feedbacks at the policy instrument level result in instrument change which can be a necessary condition for sustained positive feedback processes at the ideational level of policy. Somewhat counterintuitively, we argue a policy pathway in which positive instrument feedbacks undermine the ideational foundation of policy. With positive instrument feedback overshadowing negative feedbacks, misalignment between policy and the broader context, eventually undermining the policy, is likely to occur at some point. These new insights are important for policy planning with longer time horizons.",
keywords = "Feedback, Ideas, Path dependency, Policy change, Policy instruments, Policy paradigms",
author = "Carsten Daugbjerg and Adrian Kay",
year = "2020",
doi = "10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y",
language = "English",
volume = "53",
pages = "253–268",
journal = "Policy Sciences",
issn = "0032-2687",
publisher = "Springer",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Policy feedback and pathways

T2 - when change leads to endurance and continuity to change

AU - Daugbjerg, Carsten

AU - Kay, Adrian

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The policy feedback literature was initially concerned with explaining how positive feedback could lead to self-reinforcing policy trajectories. More recently, policy scholars have devoted more attention to negative feedbacks which can result in self-undermining policy trajectories. This article moves beyond these two well-known pathways to policy endurance and change by conceptually outlining two additional pathways to endurance and change. We argue that positive and negative feedback may be observed simultaneously within the same policy trajectory. The existing literature fails to distinguish adequately between policy feedback processes operating at the ideational and instrument levels of policy. We outline a pathway to endurance in which negative feedbacks at the policy instrument level result in instrument change which can be a necessary condition for sustained positive feedback processes at the ideational level of policy. Somewhat counterintuitively, we argue a policy pathway in which positive instrument feedbacks undermine the ideational foundation of policy. With positive instrument feedback overshadowing negative feedbacks, misalignment between policy and the broader context, eventually undermining the policy, is likely to occur at some point. These new insights are important for policy planning with longer time horizons.

AB - The policy feedback literature was initially concerned with explaining how positive feedback could lead to self-reinforcing policy trajectories. More recently, policy scholars have devoted more attention to negative feedbacks which can result in self-undermining policy trajectories. This article moves beyond these two well-known pathways to policy endurance and change by conceptually outlining two additional pathways to endurance and change. We argue that positive and negative feedback may be observed simultaneously within the same policy trajectory. The existing literature fails to distinguish adequately between policy feedback processes operating at the ideational and instrument levels of policy. We outline a pathway to endurance in which negative feedbacks at the policy instrument level result in instrument change which can be a necessary condition for sustained positive feedback processes at the ideational level of policy. Somewhat counterintuitively, we argue a policy pathway in which positive instrument feedbacks undermine the ideational foundation of policy. With positive instrument feedback overshadowing negative feedbacks, misalignment between policy and the broader context, eventually undermining the policy, is likely to occur at some point. These new insights are important for policy planning with longer time horizons.

KW - Feedback

KW - Ideas

KW - Path dependency

KW - Policy change

KW - Policy instruments

KW - Policy paradigms

U2 - 10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y

DO - 10.1007/s11077-019-09366-y

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85076604921

VL - 53

SP - 253

EP - 268

JO - Policy Sciences

JF - Policy Sciences

SN - 0032-2687

ER -

ID: 234024977