Abstract
Although many scholars have studied policy success and failure, the relationship of these phenomena to the policy process—essential for an explanatory or anticipatory analysis—remains unclear. I address this gap by linking the policy success heuristic with the multiple streams framework (MSF) and developing hypotheses to explain outcomes. I apply this conceptualization to the case of the solar energy policy in Gujarat, India by combining a qualitative policy assessment with a process trace of policy making. The findings show that the conflicted process success and the programmatic failure resulted largely from a top-down push for a policy without a problem. This push, nevertheless, led to political success that was sustained by recoupling problems and politics through agenda denial, blame avoidance, and credit claiming. I conclude with implications for the research on policy evaluation, the MSF, and policy studies, as well as the governance of a sustainable energy transition.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1021-1060 |
Number of pages | 40 |
Journal | Politics & Policy |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- Climate Change Mitigation
- Environmental Policy
- MSF
- Multiple Streams Framework
- Policy Entrepreneurship
- Policy Evaluation
- Policy Failure
- Policy Innovation
- Policy Process
- Policy Success
- Renewable Energy
- Sustainable Energy Transition