Analysis of current theoretical trajectories of public policy research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31558/2519-2949.2025.4.1Keywords:
adaptive governance, state, state power, institutions, political system, political regime, public policy, public actors, modelsAbstract
The article provides a theoretical analysis of the current state of research in the field of public policy and management. It is noted that modern science is characterised by multidisciplinarity and focuses on issues of efficiency, co-management and networking. The purpose of the article is to identify, justify and systematise the key theoretical directions along which modern scientific thought in the field of public policy is developing. Based on the analysed works on this issue, three scientific trajectories were identified. The first is related to the classical analysis of the political process, in particular the detailing of the stages of agenda setting. The second trajectory covers theoretical pluralism, which includes models of coalitions of supporters, the theory of intermittent equilibrium, discursive approaches, and institutionalism. Separately, this line of thought considers the concept of adaptive governance (E. Ostrom), which focuses on the evolution of institutions for managing common goods and overcoming institutional failures. The third trajectory is identified as the ‘collaborative direction,’ which has gained popularity in contemporary public policy research. It is critically important to shift the focus to human agency. Politics is created by actors through thinking, emotions, and embodied experience, where the key role is played by ideas as catalysts for cooperation and their “local significance” at the intersection with space. The article also outlines the latest research trends, which are still fragmented and do not relate to any specific trajectory. In particular, the “phenomenon of data power” and geopolitical shifts that explain the new balance of power in the world system (“Asian century”). Based on an analysis of contemporary scientific works, it has been proven that research predominantly demonstrates a departure from linear, mechanistic models of public policy. Instead, the dominant view of public policy is as a complex, dynamic process based on such ideological values as solidarity, trust, mutual respect, and coordination.
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