7. External Forces

Lindquist argues that external influences and forces play a large role in shaping the policy process. He suggests that unless external forces exert sufficient pressure for change on those with dominant interests in a policy domain, the status quo will prevail. One example of an external force is a change in government, which may influence policy processes through bringing in a different ideological approach or a different leadership style. Other examples are changes in the economy and in technology. Lindquist also mentions ‘policy spillovers’ as a possible external force for policy change. In this case, developments in one policy domain are significant enough to have an impact on various other policy domains, even though this spillover may not have been intended.

Click here to return to the index page
or click to return to the summary page.