An Introductory Exposure to Theories of the Policy Process for Undergraduates and Environmental Policy Students

There is currently a movement underway to encourage scholars to develop and refine theories of the policymaking process with precision so that we can improve the accuracy of our knowledge surrounding the making of public policies (see Sabatier and Weible 2014). The purpose of this manuscript is to lay out these theories for undergraduate students interested in the topic of theory and/or environmental policymaking and does so by drawing on Sabatier and Weible’s (2014) Theories of the Policy Process and the 2013 special issue of Policy Studies Journal on the topic of New Theories of the Policy Process. The manuscript begins by defining epistemology and theory-building and then examines Rational Choice Theory, the Institutional Analysis and Design Framework, Multiple Streams Framework, Punctuated Equilibrium Framework, Advocacy Coalition Framework, the Ecology of Games Framework, and Policy Feedback Theory. An illustrative example is used for each of the theories to bring it into clearer focus. Discussion questions are included at the end of the manuscript.