Policy network models

Abstract

The overarching goal of policy network analysis is to understand how relationships between actors involved in policy-making determine the outcomes of collective policy decisions (Compston 2009; Knoke 2011). To this end, policy network analysis consists of two distinct components. First, one has to identify the important actors involved in the policy-making process. Although policies are proposed, debated, and passed by legislators and other governmental entities, extragovernmental actors such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), interest groups, or even influential individuals can be involved in influencing policies. Second, one has to describe the type of social interactions that occur between actors during the policy-making process. Both components are vital to enabling the researcher to explain or predict policy outcomes.