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Finding, distinguishing, and understanding overlooked policy entrepreneurs

Author

Listed:
  • Gwen Arnold

    (University of California)

  • Meghan Klasic

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Changtong Wu

    (University of California)

  • Madeline Schomburg

    (Colorado State University)

  • Abigail York

    (Arizona State University)

Abstract

Scholars have spent decades arguing that policy entrepreneurs, change agents who work individually and in groups to influence the policy process, can be crucial in introducing policy innovation and spurring policy change. How to identify policy entrepreneurs empirically has received less attention. This oversight is consequential because scholars trying to understand when policy entrepreneurs emerge, and why, and what makes them more or less successful, need to be able to identify these change agents reliably and accurately. This paper explores the ways policy entrepreneurs are currently identified and highlights issues with current approaches. We introduce a new technique for eliciting and distinguishing policy entrepreneurs, coupling automated and manual analysis of local news media and a survey of policy entrepreneur candidates. We apply this technique to the empirical case of unconventional oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania and derive some tentative results concerning factors which increase entrepreneurial efficacy.

Suggested Citation

  • Gwen Arnold & Meghan Klasic & Changtong Wu & Madeline Schomburg & Abigail York, 2023. "Finding, distinguishing, and understanding overlooked policy entrepreneurs," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(4), pages 657-687, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:56:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11077-023-09515-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-023-09515-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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