Toward a Multidimensional Framework for the Analysis of Social Policy

Abstract

Most conceptual models of the policy process have relied upon single factor explanations of policy out comes. While enhancing clarity, these models have tended to oversimplify greatly the real complexity of the formation of public policies. In this article, a plea for a more complex conceptualization of the policy process is made, with an expressed need for considering the factors of time, policy area, level of government, and nation. By considering these fac tors, some of the apparently contradictory evidence in cur rent policy studies may be better integrated. This will be especially important in reemphasizing the role of politics, as opposed to resources, as a component of explanation of policy choices.