Policy dynamics and types of agency : From individual to collective patterns of action

摘要 除去与结构的相关性, 和对决策结果的限制性, 能动性(agency) 还是描述政策动态的一个关键 因素。的确, 能动性这一概念可能会根据经验参考和政策背景而包含不同成分。在政策研究 中, 不同能动者被概念化而在决策中具有相关性, 但他们处理的却是相似个体的问题。这些个 体无序地参与到政策过程中, 做出特定的贡献。本文主张—不同类型的能动者可被归因为特定 行动模式的结果, 其相关任务是政策动态中稳定性和变化的必需成分—进而提出将政策动态中 的能动性进行“去人格化” (de-personalize)。由此, 本文提出三种模式类型—企业家精神型、经 纪人型和领导力型—同时展示了在政策动态中运用这些概念如何能更好地安排、描述和把握能 动性。

Despite the relevance of structures and constraints to the outcomes of policy‐making, agency emerges as a key aspect in accounting for policy dynamics. Indeed, agency is a concept that may embrace different components according to their empirical reference and policy context. In policy studies, different agents are conceptualized to be relevant in policy‐making, but they address the issues of similar individuals who randomly jump into the policy process to make a specific contribution. This paper proposes to de‐personalize agency in policy dynamics by arguing that the different types of agents can be attributed to specific patterns of action and that related tasks are a necessary element of stability and change in policy dynamics. Thus, we propose three types of patterns—entrepreneurship, brokerage, and leadership—and we show how the use of these concepts can help to better order, describe, and grasp agency in policy dynamics.