The Politics of Ideas and the Spread of Enterprise Zones
 288 pp., 6 x 9 Hardcover ISBN: 9780878408009 () 288 pp., 6 x 9 Paperback ISBN: 9780878408016 (0878408010) eBook ISBN: 9781589014596 E-Inspection Request E-Inspection July 2000 LC: 00-026360 Sales Rights: World American Governance and Public Policy series EXPLORE THIS TITLE DescriptionTable of Contents Reviews |
The Politics of Ideas and the Spread of Enterprise Zones
This book explores how policy ideas are spread—or diffused—in an age in which policymaking has become increasingly complex and specialized. Using the concept of enterprise zones as a case study in policy diffusion, Karen Mossberger compares the process of their adoption in Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts over a twelve-year period.
Enterprise zones were first proposed by the Reagan administration as a supply-side effort to reenergize inner cities, and they were eventually embraced by liberals and conservatives alike. They are a compelling example of a policy idea that spread and evolved rapidly. Mossberger describes the information networks and decisionmaking processes in the five states, assessing whether enterprise zones spread opportunistically, as a mere fad, or whether well-informed deliberation preceded their adoption. Karen Mossberger is associate professor of public administration, University of Illinois at Chicago. Gerard W. Boychuk, Karen Mossberger, and Mark C. Rom, Series Editors
Reviews
"This is, refreshingly, both a positive and a realistic policy story."—Australian Journal of Political Science "Intriguing analysis . . . [this book] promises to reinvigorate research on policy diffusion and policy learning at the state and local level."—Susan E. Clarke, University of Colorado at Boulder Table of Contents Preface Introduction: Diffusion and Decision Making in Five States Decision Making Models Washington's Most Successful Nonprogram Diffusion in the States: Old Wine in New Bottles? Polydiffusion in an Intergovernmental Network The Diffusion of a Policy Label Informed Decision Making A Decision-Making Continuum Conclusion: Diffusion, Decision Making, and the Politics of Ideas Postscript Appendix 1. Methodology Appendix 2. Legislative Questions Appendix 3. Administrative Questions Appendix 4. Washington Interviews Appendix 5. Respondents Chapter Notes References Index |