Natural resources journal · 1977 · 34 citations · 0 references
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Public AffairsPublic PolicyRegulatory PolicyDecision AnalysisPolicy AnalysisRegulatory GovernancePolicy FormulationRegulationRegulatory AgenciesRegulatory AnalysisRegulatory FrameworksRegulatory Policy AnalysisIndependent VariablesModeling In Regulatory Decision-makingPolicy DecisionsPolicy Making ProcessRegulatory PolicymakingSituational Variables
The authors present a qualitative flow diagram illustrating how various resource, attitudinal, and situational variables interact to shape regulatory policy‑making. The diagram can be used to compare case studies to define boundary conditions and to build quantitative path models that estimate the impact of independent variables when feasible. The framework identifies multiple resource, attitudinal, and situational variables affecting regulatory agencies, emphasizes that legal, political, and technical resources deserve greater consideration than agency structure, and reveals that decisions seemingly driven by first‑order variables may actually be due to situational factors.
Several sets of resource and/or attitudinal and situational variables are identified as affecting the policy-making process of regulatory agencies. A flow diagram depicts the interactions of these variables, which are intended as a qualitative framework and not as quantitative indicators or for statistical use. The list indicates that legal, political, technical, and other resources need to be given more consideration, while agency structure probably needs less attention. The diagram also indicates that policy decisions that seem to be directly affected by first-order variables may actually be attributable to some situational variables. Boundary conditions could be determined by comparing similar case studies with several variables held constant. The diagram can also be used to develop quantitative path models, when quantification is feasible, to estimate what impacts a series of independent variables will have.