Comparative state policy studies have traditionally relied on one of three explanations of policy influence, classified here as the economic, political, and group influence models. Each of these traditional models, however, provides a narrow and biased representation of the policy process. Moreover, the single-equation, multiple regression format most often used to operationalize these models can lead to misrepresentations of the influences surrounding policy-making. In this article, an integrated model of the policy process is developed and operationalized as an alternative to these partial theories of state policy-making. Through theoretical discussion and empirical evaluation, this integrated model is demonstrated as superior to the traditional models when analyzing the strength of state air pollution control programs.
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