The politics of ideas and the spread of enterprise zones / Karen Mossberger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mossberger, Karen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Enterprise zones--United States--Case studies.

Enterprise zones.

Local government--United States--Decision making--Case studies.

Local government.

Decision making.

United States.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xvi, 269 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Politics of ideas

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2000]

Summary:

This book explores how policy ideas are spread -- or diffused -- in an age in which policymaking has become increasingly complex and specialized. Using the concept of enterprise zones as a case study in policy diffusion, Karen Mossberger compares the process of their adoption in Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts over a twelve-year period.

Enterprise zones were first proposed by the Reagan administration as a supply-side effort to reenergize inner cities, and they were eventually embraced by liberals and conservatives alike. They are a compelling example of a policy idea that spread and evolved rapidly. Mossberger describes the information networks and decisionmaking processes in the five states, assessing whether enterprise zones spread opportunistically, as a mere fad, or whether well-informed deliberation preceded their adoption.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Diffusion and Decision Making in Five States 1

2. Decision-Making Models 25

3. Washington's Most Successful Nonprogram 54

4. Diffusion in the States: Old Wine in New Bottles? 80

5. Polydiffusion in an Intergovernmental Network 95

6. The Diffusion of a Policy Label 116

7. Informed Decision Making 131

8. A Decision-Making Continuum 159

9. Conclusion: Diffusion, Decision Making, and the Politics of Ideas 190

Appendix 1. Methodology 213

Appendix 2. Legislative Questions 222

Appendix 3. Administrative Questions 225

Appendix 4. Washington Interviews 227

Appendix 5. Respondents 228.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [241]-260) and index.

ISBN:

0878408002

9780878408009

0878408010

9780878408016

OCLC:

43555030