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book: The National Origins of Policy Ideas
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The National Origins of Policy Ideas

Knowledge Regimes in the United States, France, Germany, and Denmark
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Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2014

About this book

In politics, ideas matter. They provide the foundation for economic policymaking, which in turn shapes what is possible in domestic and international politics. Yet until now, little attention has been paid to how these ideas are produced and disseminated, and how this process varies between countries. The National Origins of Policy Ideas provides the first comparative analysis of how "knowledge regimes"—communities of policy research organizations like think tanks, political party foundations, ad hoc commissions, and state research offices, and the institutions that govern them—generate ideas and communicate them to policymakers.

John Campbell and Ove Pedersen examine how knowledge regimes are organized, operate, and have changed over the last thirty years in the United States, France, Germany, and Denmark. They show how there are persistent national differences in how policy ideas are produced. Some countries do so in contentious, politically partisan ways, while others are cooperative and consensus oriented. They find that while knowledge regimes have adopted some common practices since the 1970s, tendencies toward convergence have been limited and outcomes have been heavily shaped by national contexts.

Drawing on extensive interviews with top officials at leading policy research organizations, this book demonstrates why knowledge regimes are as important to capitalism as the state and the firm, and sheds new light on debates about the effects of globalization, the rise of neoliberalism, and the orientation of comparative political economy in political science and sociology.

Author / Editor information

John L. Campbell is the Class of 1925 Professor of Sociology at Dartmouth College and professor of political economy at the Copenhagen Business School. Ove K. Pedersen is professor of comparative political economy at the Copenhagen Business School. Their many books include The Rise of Neoliberalism and Institutional Analysis (Princeton).

Reviews

"The book is an important contribution that opens up new ways of thinking about the production of policy ideas as well as analytical strategies for systematic empirical research. . . . The National Origins of Policy Ideas brings our understanding of knowledge regimes to a new level."---Daniel Nohrstedt, Public Administration --- "The historical and comparative analytical approach, further strengthened by elite interviews and archival research, reveals the following country-specific characteristics of knowledge regimes: heterogeneity of ideas, self-critical attitude, comparatively uniform and analytical sophistication, and a nonideological and inclusive approach."

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    i
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  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    vii
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    Tables and Figures

    ix
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    Acronyms

    xi
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    Preface

    xvii
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    Chapter 1: Knowledge Regimes and the National Origins of Policy Ideas

    1
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  • Part I: The Political Economy of Knowledge Regimes
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    Chapter 2: The Paradox of Partisanship in the United States

    39
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    Chapter 3: The Decline of Dirigisme in France

    84
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    Chapter 4: Coordination and Compromise in Germany

    129
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    Chapter 5: The Nature of Negotiation in Denmark

    172
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    Reprise: Initial Reflections on the National Cases

    215
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  • Part II: Issues of Similarity and Impact
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    Chapter 6: Limits of Convergence

    233
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    Chapter 7: Questions of Influence

    276
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  • Part III: Conclusions
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    Chapter 8: Summing Up and Normative Implications

    325
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    Postscript: An Agenda for Future Research

    332
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    Appendix: Research Design and Methods

    343
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    References

    357
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    Index

    375
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
June 16, 2015
eBook ISBN:
9781400850365
Edition:
Course Book
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
View content
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850365
eBook ISBN: 9781400850365
Keywords for this book
Regime; Political economy; Globalization; Policy; Corporatism; Policy analysis; Neoliberalism; Economist; Forecasting; The Heritage Foundation; Advocacy group; Advocacy; Institution; Political party; Politician; Think tank; Ideology; Capitalism; Economic policy; Keynesian economics; Funding; Annual report; Employment; Council of Economic Advisers; Lobbying; Organization; Tax; Economics; Unemployment; American Enterprise Institute; Politics; Legislation; Competition; Private sector; Economic problem; Economy; Welfare state; Uncertainty; Public sphere; Centre-right politics; Research institute; Copenhagen Business School; National Center for Policy Analysis; Policy debate; Stagflation; Centrism; Labour movement; Economic globalization; Regulation; Welfare; Case study; Foreign policy; Civil society; Civil service; Center for American Progress; Government agency; Trade union; Economic Policy Institute; Market economy; Brookings Institution; Publication; Public administration; Political spectrum; Advisory board; CEPOS; Economic sociology; Competitiveness; Friedrich Ebert Foundation; Tax law; Budget
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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