Summary
Contents
Key Concepts in Governance provides a clear introduction to the technical concepts and policies of contemporary governance through short definitional essays. Each entry features a snapshot definition of the concept, a contextualization of the concept, an overview of relevant debates, and a guide to further reading. The book also includes a substantial introductory chapter which gives an overview of governance studies as a whole, orientating and guiding the reader around the issues that the concepts address.
Incrementalism
Incrementalism
Definition
The theory of incrementalism draws on pluralism. It purports to explain (and perhaps advocate) a process of gradual policy change that can culminate in large-scale change. Incrementalism assumes that, at any given time, on any given issue, the policy process includes a number of actors who have different knowledge, values, and interests. The various policy actors are competing to enact their respective policies. They also face the constraints of democratic institutions and scarce resources. Hence the policy process is a fragmented one. It is a pluralist system of competition. As a result, policy initiatives are almost always diluted by the compromises needed to generate a broad consensus on any given issue. This dilution of policy initiatives means that policy is generally modest in its scope. ...