Policy Network:a Key Factor Explaining Policy Outcomes

As a traditional theoretical framework explaining public policy processes,"stage model" was the main stream. The model simplified complex policy processes, and enriched research findings of each policy stage. However, the model paid more attention to describing policy processes rigidly, and ignored the complexity of policy processes. A series of "political reality transition" has appeared in western world since1970s’under the influence of globalization. A lot of policy actors emerged gradually, policy process began to be networked, and policy environment became acentric. Under the forces from theoretical need and political transition,"network" was brought into the policy fields and another new theory-"policy network" was developed to explain policy process.Up to now, the new term has become the main approach analyzing public policy. On the basis of conceptions, features, elements and classifications, lots of scholars insisted that policy networks could explain policy outcomes. Meanwhile, the idea gave rise to intense debates for a long time. Some argued that policy network structure influenced policy outcomes, while some argued it is network actors’ strategies explain policy outcomes. So the research has been caught in structuralism and behaviorism. In order to solve the problems, this dissertation firstly clarifies the possibilities and necessities of combining structure and action, defines the independent variables and the dependent variables, and then constructs the explanatory model and puts forward analysis paths. Next, the dissertation chooses two policy areas-medical insurance and social housing, and analyzes how policy networks influence policy-making outcomes and policy-implementation outcomes. Finally, on the basis of comparing two policy areas, some conclusions will be got:first, policy network theory can be applied in China’s policy environment; second, policy network is really a key factor explaining policy outcomes; third, in some policy areas, the openness of policy network is directly related with the democracy and effectiveness of policy outcomes; forth, policy network is closed in China and government will be the important actors changing the closed network. Considering the important explanatory power of policy network, our government should take some useful network management strategies, making policy network more open and improving policy outcomes’ democracy and effectiveness.