Review article
https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v21i3.1143
Theodore Lowi's Policy Types: Particularities of Social Policy Making
Ana Petek
orcid.org/0000-0002-9553-8334
; Fakultet političkih znanosti Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to determine specific characteristics of Theodore Lowi’s redistributive policy making, to contribute to the comparison of social policy with other policy areas. Therefore Lowi’s four policy types (distributive, regulative, redistributive and constituent) are carefully examined, as well as the classification criteria and characteristics of each type. The interpretation of criteria and characteristics is developed by comparison and summarizing of original and abundant secondary literature. The paper shows that redistributive policies are characterized by the usage of public finances and public services for achieving public interests, by elitist or corporatist power-relation structure of state and big civil society actors, and by visibility, ideological conflicts and public debates. The main finding is that the redistributive (social) policies are most similar to constituent policies, then to distributive policies, and the least similar to the regulatory (economic) policies.
Keywords
comparative public policy; policy classification; Theodore Lowi; constituent policies; distributive policies; regulative policies; redistributive policies
Hrčak ID:
131391
URI
Publication date:
18.12.2014.
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