Policy Dynamics and the Evolution of State Charter School Laws

Baumgartner and Jones (1993) showed how radically new policies emerge on government agendas as a consequence of exogenous shocks to policy subsystems displacing privileged interests. But how do these policies evolve post-punctuation? In this paper, we present three different models of policy change....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy sciences 2009-02, Vol.42 (1), p.33-55
Main Authors: Holyoke, Thomas T., Henig, Jeffrey R., Brown, Heath, Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Change
Charter schools
College admission
Economic Policy
Education
Education systems
Equilibrium
Interest groups
Jurisdiction
Law
Law schools
Legislators
Legislatures
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Pluralism
Policy
Policy making
Political interest groups
Political parties
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Politics
Power
Public Administration
Public policy
Schools
State legislation
States (Political Subdivisions)
Studies
U.S.A
United States environmental policy
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Summary:Baumgartner and Jones (1993) showed how radically new policies emerge on government agendas as a consequence of exogenous shocks to policy subsystems displacing privileged interests. But how do these policies evolve post-punctuation? In this paper, we present three different models of policy change. Policies may revert to the old status quo if displaced interests re-assert themselves, or they may be "locked-in" by new interests now reaping the benefits. Alternatively, they may incrementally change as lawmakers "learn" how to better meet target population needs, particularly by witnessing how other jurisdictions address similar problems. We test these models with data on change in state charter schools laws over time. We find that whether old status quos are overthrow, and the fate of charter policies when they are enacted, is influenced more by competing political interests, especially interest groups, than elite and public perceptions of broad systemic crises. Yet, we also find that changing demands on the state and learning from the successes and failures of neighboring states also play significant roles.
ISSN:0032-2687
1573-0891
DOI:10.1007/s11077-009-9077-3