Policy Communities and Discourse Coalitions

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Abstract
The role of ideas in policy processes is rather neglected in most analyses of economic policy making. This article synthesizes the main concerns of two bodies of literature that, despite their many differences, both address the process of policy formation: the first is institutional in character, exploring the way in which state agencies organize political participation; the second emphasizes the cognitive or symbolic aspects of policy debates. In particular, attention is paid to the way in which policy making is affected by the interaction of political institutions and discourse structures. More specifically, the article analyzes how different types of discourse coalitions shape the prospects for policy change and policy learning.