Multiple Streams Framework Research Articles

Agenda-setting of tobacco control policy in Iran: a retrospective policy analysis study

BackgroundThe prevalence of tobacco use, especially hookah, has increased in Iran In recent years, particularly among young people and women, and the age of onset of use has decreased. Tobacco use is the fourth leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases in Iran. These issues cause concerns in the country and led to the present study on tobacco control agenda-setting in Iran over a 30-year timeframe.MethodsWe conducted this retrospective analytical study to investigate process analysis in Iran using Kingdon’s multiple-streams framework (MSF). We collected the data using semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 36) and reviewing policy documents (n > 100). Then, we analyzed the policy documents and in-depth interviews using the document and framework analysis method. We used MAXQDA 11 software to classify and analyze the data.ResultsIran’s accession to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) opened a window of opportunity for tobacco control. The policy window opens when all three streams have already been developed. The adoption of the comprehensive law on the national control and campaign against tobacco in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2006 is a turning point in tobacco control activities in Iran.ConclusionsThe tobacco control agenda-setting process in Iran was broadly consistent with MSF. The FCTC strengthened the comprehensive plan for national control of tobacco as a policy stream. However, there are several challenges in developing effective policies for tobacco control in the Iranian setting.

Why are Brazilians so interested in gun control? Putting the Multiple Streams Framework to the test

Gun control has been a relevant political issue in Brazil for over twenty years. The first goal of this article is to understand and explain this unusual prominence in the political agenda. The second is the empirical verification of a proposed modification for John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework that may allow a more appropriate application to the Latin American context. Findings suggest that proponents of both gun control and gun liberalization were able to exploit the rise in homicides and their close relations to legislators and presidents to couple the streams together and systematically reintroduce the issue in the agenda. The process was marked by the strong influence of opposing interest groups, whereas political parties and public opinion played a secondary role. In consequence, the agenda-setting process mirrored a political stream that acknowledges how legislatures and political parties are frequently weak in Latin America, while special interests can have a major influence over executives that dominate policymaking.

Avaliação de Tecnologias em Saúde: informada pela ciência ou a serviço da política?

ABSTRACTThe youth of Health Technology Assessment (HTA), as an institutional policy at the national level, signals the need to reflect on how its implementation took place under the perspective of its insertion in health policy and the scientific field. At the end of its first decade, these questions arise: has HTA translated into a health policy informed by science? Has its scientific foundation been used in the service of politics? To understand this political process, we apply the multiple-streams framework formulated by John Kingdon. The use of science to inform policy and the political use of science present themselves in an unstable balance. The survival of this policy will depend not only on science but on the art of orchestrating the interests of various agents so that HTA becomes a health policy for strengthening and sustainability of SUS.

Failed It or Nailed It: A Historical-Comparative Analysis of Legislating Bushmeat Ban in China

One of the prominent policy responses to COVID-19 by the Chinese government is a recent complete ban on trade and the consumption of wild animals for food use purposes. Despite some discussions and debates in media coverage, the policy has not obtained much scholarly discussion from a public policy perspective. This article aims to fill the research gap by examining the policy formation process of the complete ban. The study conducts a historical-comparative analysis of the three legislative attempts on the bushmeat ban in 2004, 2016, and 2020, applying the multiple streams framework (MSF). We identify six key explanatory factors contributing to the successful formulation of the strictest-ever bushmeat ban. Five corroborate with the problem, policy, and political streams respectively: (i) the existence of an exogenous zoonosis-related crisis as background (problem stream); (ii) the attention and support from the top-level political leaders (political stream); (iii) the national mood (political stream); (iv) proposals from both internal and external policy advisors and experts (policy stream); and (v) feasibility of the proposed solutions (policy stream). The sixth—the role of policy entrepreneurs—serves as a fundamental driving force in shaping and coupling the three streams.

The Emergence of Environmental Policy in China: Multiple Streams and the Shaping of a Technocratic Bias

Was it a result of domestic political changes or of developments in international environmental politics? While the decision to introduce comprehensive modern environmental policies in China has had arguably a long-term impact on environmental governance, few studies have scrutinised the early decision-making process. This article attempts to address the void in scholarship. Adopting the multiple streams framework, the authors argue that the origins of environmental policy in China arose from the confluence of three streams—problem identification, political tensions and policy choices—under Premier Zhou Enlai's sponsorship. The new ecological perspective arising from the environmental policy emphasises scientific principles and technocratic solutions, lending a contrast to an ideological approach that had characterised the previous decades. This process was accompanied by the new political role of an environmentalist group consisting primarily of bureaucrats and scientists who mobilised international experience to identify appropriate technological solutions. This article analytically traces the historical context, problem identification, policy entrepreneurship and key policy instruments that characterised the first phase of Chinese environmental policies. The authors discuss the extent to which key elements of China's environmental policies today may still be shaped by the technocratic approach in the initial phase.

One for the money, two for the show: What are the actor‐based incentives for public‐private partnerships for innovation?

AbstractThis paper aims to identify the processes that lead to the establishment of public‐private partnerships (PPPs) with a focus on the financial and policy incentives of the actors involved. To this end, it applies the Multiple Streams Framework to a qualitative case study to answer the following research question: are actors of PPPs for innovation motivated due to financial incentives or can they be policy driven? Although the fiscal context plays an important role in our case, the study shows that policy goals, such as providing infrastructure or public services and promoting innovation can be the main drivers for establishing a PPP. These findings offer a theoretical and practical contribution to analyze PPPs as a phenomenon. First, we establish a theoretical framework of possible incentives for actors in PPPs and, secondly, provide new insights into the PPP discussion in the public administration literature.

How Climate-Induced Migration Entered the UN Policy Agenda in 2007–2010: A Multiple Streams Assessment

In 2007, issues regarding climate-induced migration took a giant leap on the international policy agenda at the same time as a growth of interest in and salience of climate security. From having been a technical non-issue since the 1980s, climate-induced migration became one of the most emphasised consequences of climate change for a short period. After three years of fluidity in actors, institutions, and conceptual framings, issues of climate change and migration reached a formal recognition in the 2010 Cancún Adaptation Framework, marking a new era for policy discussions on climate-induced migration. This article sets out to show why this issue, which had been known to policymakers and academia for at least two decades, took such a major leap up the agenda at this specific point in time. The article draws from rich primary interview material together with an analytical framework based on the multiple streams framework in order to systematically answer this question. In doing so, the article primarily offers an empirical contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the specific agenda-setting mechanisms of climate-induced migration in an international policy context.

“We don’t have any answers within the current framework”: tensions within cannabis policy change in Ireland

PurposeInternational policy approaches to cannabis production and use are changing rapidly, and within the Irish context, alternatives to prohibition are being considered. This study aims to explore policymaker’s attitudes towards the decriminalisation and legal regulation of cannabis for recreational use in the midst of an unfolding policy process, examining the degree which a “policy window” might be open for the implementation of cannabis policy change.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were held with eight key informants within the policy field in Dublin, Ireland. Kingdon’s (2014) Multiple Streams framework was used to consider whether the problems, policy and political streams were aligning to support progressive policy change.FindingsIrish policymakers indicated broad support for the decriminalisation of cannabis. The legal regulation of cannabis received more qualified support. Existing policy was heavily criticised with criminalisation identified as a clear failure. Of particular interest was the willingness of policymakers to offer opinions which contrasted with the policy positions of their organisations. While a policy window did open – and close – subsequent governmental commitments to examine the issue of drugs policy in a more deliberative process in the near future highlight the incremental nature of policy change.Originality/valueThis study provides unique insight into the opinions of policymakers in the midst of a prolonged period of policy evolution. A latent aspiration for historical policy change was situated within the realpolitik of more traditional approaches to policy development, demonstrating that the alignment of Kingdon’s (2014) problem, policy and political streams are essential for change in cannabis policy.

Multiple streams framework and logging policy change in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran

ABSTRACT The 2017 logging ban in Iran’s Hyrcanian forests represents a considerable forest policy change, which was proposed following the development of other major policies to improve natural resource management. The aim of this paper is to explain the development of the logging ban policy using Kingdon’s multiple streams framework (MSF). Qualitative methods – interviewing and document review – were used for data collection and analysis. The problem, politics and policy streams are shown to be linked in framing the policy change. We investigate how participants in the development of the policy used interlinkages between the problem, politics and policy streams to develop their proposals and how this simplified the change process. Despite some limitations, the MSF is helpful in explaining and analysing outcomes of natural resource management policy development processes.

A Multiple Streams Framework Approach to Access to Domestic Violence Services in an Indigenous Community.

This article focuses on access to domestic violence services within Belize. Using data from community asset mapping, interviews with key informants, and focus groups with community members, the multiple streams framework was used to identify potential areas for intervention to improve access and ameliorate the effects of family violence in Belize. Identified challenges to accessing limited domestic violence resources were mainly confidentiality concerns and mistrust. Existing laws and regulations, organizational structures, and policies and plans also influenced access. Women's groups, nongovernmental organizations, and the health department can play a crucial role in improving access to domestic violence services.

Navigating the political and technical challenges of developing a national HRH strategy: a case study in Greece

Healthcare workforce reforms to enable implementation of government health policies require government leadership, and commitment of various stakeholders, but workforce reforms often meet resistance from powerful stakeholders. We use Kingdon’s Multiple Streams framework to explain how in 2017, in Greece, the interplay between problems, policy and politics led to government marshalling support from experts to develop a National HRH Strategy. A window of opportunity for healthcare workforce reforms occurred because of the Ministry of Health’s acknowledgement of structural workforce problems (problem stream), the introduction of policies and decrees on Primary Health Care and Public Health, and availability of globally formulated HRH policy solutions (policy stream). Additionally, interest of the government in Universal Health Coverage combined with reform requirements from European loan providers provided political opportunities (politics stream). This experience shows 1) the opportunity for change presented by circumstances; 2) the importance of creating healthcare workforce capabilities within the government to implement a health policy agenda. However, windows of opportunity are short‐lived political interest is fleeting, competing problems may arise, alternative solutions may be proposed or governments may change. We conclude with a key challenge for success: how to assure continued government commitment to HRH reforms in a changing political context.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON GHANA GOVERNMENT’S REFORMS

The paper examines the formulation of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education policy and the Kuffour-led education reforms in the education system of Ghana in 1996 and 2007 respectively. The study is undertaken through the lens of the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) developed by John Kingdon in 1984 to underscore how different factors or streams collectively influence the adoption of certain policies. The paper argues that far more than mere pursuit of party manifesto promises, broad problem, policy and political occurrences conspired to call forth the reforms. By so doing, the paper puts the theoretical assumptions of MSF to test and finds that though developed within the context of the American democratic system to explain policymaking, the MSF finds utility in the Ghanaian context as well, making its postulations generalizable.

A policy window and a network of global and local policy entrepreneurs: The introduction of opioid substitution therapy in Belarus

Abstract Why does a regime that is predominantly characterised by conservative ideology introduce opioid substitution therapy (OST), a liberal policy? This article applies the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to examine the introduction of OST in Belarus. Methodologically, the research draws on qualitative content analysis of drug policy documents and reports as well as on interviews. Results show how an increased HIV prevalence among injecting drug users opened a policy window in the problem stream. The increase in HIV cases could be used by a network of global and local policy entrepreneurs to frame OST as a public health policy instead of a drug policy measure. Findings suggest that, in nondemocratic regimes, global policy entrepreneurs can play a dominant role in introducing new policy ideas. However, the sustainability of the policy change remains questionable when acquiescence by key policymakers is lacking.

A policy review of the process of the Integrated Nursing Care Service System in South Korea.

This study aimed to analyse the policy formation process of South Korean Integrated Nursing Care Service System (INCSS). Due to the shortage of chronic nursing staff in Korea, many nursing services have been overlooked, which has led to a customary caregiving culture that relied on inpatient families. To improve this, Korea legislated the INCSS in 2015. This study retrospectively analysed policy formation process of the INCSS using Kingdon's Multiple-Streams Framework from on-offline materials generated between 1994 and 2015. The caregiving culture, which was raised as one of the main causes of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection spread, has garnered intensive attention from media and politicians. The streams of problem, politics and policy that each flowed independently were coupled, the policy window finally opened leading to successful legislation. The leading political activities of the United Healthcare Civic-Group, in which general nurses were the core, were effective in introducing the system. This study's results could be used for promoting hospital-based healthcare policy intervention by enhancing general nurses' political competence.

통일교육정책의 변동 요인에 관한 연구

This paper used Kingdon's multiple streams framework to analyze why the unification of the education policy was changed in 2008. As analytical results, in the problem steams, unification education reflects the reality as it is and strengthens security due to the opposition to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, domestic politicization of North Korea policy, discussion of North Korea's sudden change, North Korea's nuclear development, and the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island incidents. In the political streams, President Lee Myung-bak took office, who had the idea that overall change was necessary in the policy of appeasement toward North Korea. Support for North Korea policy by the Koreans, the spread of negative awareness about North Korea and unification, the spread of public opinion to reinforce the weakened sense of security, created conditions for changes in unification education. In the policy streams, Proposals that the existing education for unification needed to be changed suggested. These three streams were able to combine with the creation of policy opportunities such as 'change of government to conservatives' and 'the Cheonan/Yeonpyeong Island incident', leading to policy changes.

Introduction—Stories of the old world: The Narrative Policy Framework in the European context

Introduction—Stories of the old world: The Narrative Policy Framework in the European context

Note from the Editor

Note from the Editor

A policy analysis of agenda-setting of Brucellosis in Iran using a multiple-stream framework: health policy and historical implications.

SummaryBackgroundBrucellosis, a major zoonotic disease, is highly present in Iran, especially in Lorestan province. The aim of this study was to understand the issues related to Brucellosis utilizing the multiple streams framework.MethodsA two-step method was adopted: 1) assessment of brucellosis-related documents and 2) interviews with stakeholders. As a first step, all documents related to Brucellosis were reviewed at provincial and national levels. Policy documentation on health issues included the consultation of guidelines, rules and regulations, websites, reports, books, guides, and conferences. These documents were collected by referring to specialized centers, institutions, and organizations. In the second step, semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the burden of disease with actors and stakeholders involved with the brucellosis program in the Lorestan province. More in detail, physicians, healthcare workers, managers, policy- and decision-makers were selected for interviews.ResultsThe problem stream was characterized by: 1) high prevalence of the disease, 2) traditional livestock production, 3) unsafe animal slaughtering, 4) centers for the sale and distribution of non-authorized dairy products, 5) raw milk and 6) traditional unsafe dairy products consumption, 7) incomplete livestock vaccination, 8) lack of knowledge of Brucellosis, 9) neighboring countries with high prevalence of Brucellosis, 10) lack of livestock quarantine, and 10) nomadic immigration. The policy stream was characterized by 1) primary healthcare networks, 2) guidelines, 3) medicines, insurance, and 4) diagnostic services. Finally, the political stream was characterized by: 1) support of the University of Medical Sciences, 2) sponsorship by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 3) Health transformation plan, and 4) Working Group on Health and Food Security in Lorestan.ConclusionThis study examined the brucellosis-related agenda setting: if different issues are taken into consideration, it can be perceived as a health priority.

A Comprehensive Application of Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework: An Analysis of the Obama Administration's No Child Left Behind Waiver Policy

Kingdon's multiple streams framework (MSF) is very influential, but problems exist with its application. Most applications neither fully use the MSF's problem stream, policy stream, politics stream, policy entrepreneur, and policy window concepts nor all their subcomponents. These trends indicate a lack of shared language and understanding of the policy process necessary for the MSF's theoretical development. Most applications employing the concepts identify subcomponents but disregard their operationalizations. Moreover, research overwhelmingly cites Kingdon's 1984 publication while neglecting studies contributing to new MSF understandings. Using the Obama administration's No Child Left Behind waiver policy, this article applies the MSF concentrating on its contemporary understandings, the focus concepts, and the concepts' subcomponents while operationalizing them. This allows an enhanced analysis and MSF's policy process understanding, identifies the MSF's strengths and weaknesses, notes nuances, offers new insights, and recommends future research.Related ArticlesDavid, Charles‐Philippe. 2015. “Policy Entrepreneurs and the Reorientation of National Security Policy under the G. W. Bush Administration (2001‐04).” Politics & Policy 43 (1): 163‐195. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12106Rawat, Pragati, and John Charles Morris. 2016. “Kingdon's ‘Streams’ Model at Thirty: Still Relevant in the 21st Century?” Politics & Policy 44 (4): 608‐638. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12168Tanaka, Yugo, Andrew Chapman, Tetsuo Tezuka, and Shigeki Sakurai. 2020. “Multiple Streams and Power Sector Policy Change: Evidence from the Feed‐In Tariff Policy Process in Japan.” Politics & Policy 48 (3): 464‐489. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12357

Explaining Policy Success Using the Multiple Streams Framework: Political Success Despite Programmatic Failure of the Solar Energy Policy in Gujarat, India

Although many scholars have studied policy success and failure, the relationship of these phenomena to the policy process—essential for an explanatory or anticipatory analysis—remains unclear. I address this gap by linking the policy success heuristic with the multiple streams framework (MSF) and developing hypotheses to explain outcomes. I apply this conceptualization to the case of the solar energy policy in Gujarat, India by combining a qualitative policy assessment with a process trace of policy making. The findings show that the conflicted process success and the programmatic failure resulted largely from a top‐down push for a policy without a problem. This push, nevertheless, led to political success that was sustained by recoupling problems and politics through agenda denial, blame avoidance, and credit claiming. I conclude with implications for the research on policy evaluation, the MSF, and policy studies, as well as the governance of a sustainable energy transition.Related ArticlesHuda, Juhi. 2020. “Sources of Evidence for Risks and Benefits in Agricultural Biotechnology Policy in India: Exploring Links to Setting and Plot in Policy Narratives.” Politics & Policy 49 (1): 205‐247. https://doi.org.10.1111/polp.12391Peterson, Holly L., Mark K. McBeth, and Michael D. Jones. 2020. “Policy Process Theory for Rural Studies: Navigating Context and Generalization in Rural Policy.” Politics & Policy 48 (4): 576‐617. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12366Rawat, Pragati, and John Charles Morris. 2016. “Kingdon's ‘Streams’ Model at Thirty: Still Relevant in the 21st Century? Politics & Policy 44 (4): 608‐638. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12168