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Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research: a Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Paul A. Sabatier
Paul A. Sabatier
Affiliation:
Environmental StudiesU. of California, Davis
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Abstract

This paper first reviews the implementation literature of the past fifteen years, with particular emphasis on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches. It also argues that the 4–6 year time-frame used in most implementation research misses many critical features of public policy-making. The paper then outlines a conceptual framework for examining policy change over a 10–20 year period which combines the best features of the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches with insights from other literatures.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , January 1986 , pp. 21 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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