Elites, Ideas, And The Evolution Of Public Policy

Seen from the outside, the world of politics and policy-making seems to be in constant flux. Leading institutionalist and sociological theories of the state, on the other hand, predict equilibrium and stability. This book addresses this contradiction by posing the question: Why do some (but not all) individuals possessing the power and influence necessary to make a difference in contemporary democratic societies – actors whose very position suggests that they have done well under existing conditions – actively seek to change policies or institutions? Ongoing competition for legitimate authority, the book’s authors conclude, provides the often-neglected dynamic element that explains this behavior.

Seen from the outside, the world of politics and policy-making seems to be in constant flux. Leading institutionalist and sociological theories of the state, on the other hand, predict equilibrium and stability. This book addresses this contradiction by posing the question: Why do some (but not all) individuals possessing the power and influence necessary to make a difference in contemporary democratic societies – actors whose very position suggests that they have done well under existing conditions – actively seek to change policies or institutions? Ongoing competition for legitimate authority, the book’s authors conclude, provides the often-neglected dynamic element that explains this behavior.

WILLIAM GENIEYS is a CNRS Senior Research Fellow at the Centre d’Etude du Politique en Europe Latine at the University of Montpellier.

MARC SMYRL is a lecturer in political science, University of Denver; visiting professor and research fellow Centre d’Etude du Politique en Europe Latine at the University of Montpellier.