议题、权力与被颁布政策的走向——基于“政策夭折”现象的分析

Issues,Authority,and Where the Newly Enacted Policies Go: An Analysis on Policy Abortion

为何有的政策在被颁布后会相对顺利地走向执行环节,而有的政策在被颁布后未经充分执行即告夭折?综合政策科学和传媒领域议程设置理论与研究发现并运用比较案例方法的分析表明,被颁布的政策触发的议题的突显性及相比政策制定系统处于更高层级的党政权力的干预是影响被颁布政策的走向的两个重要因素。政策议题突显性的高低与类型决定了被颁布的政策进入本质上是系统(公众)议程的二次议程的可能性及二次议程中争论的主要内容,而更高层级权力干预的方向则决定了围绕政策议题可能形成的争论能否进入特定政策制定系统的内部议程并促成其调整或放弃既定政策。

Focusing on the question that why some newly enacted policies encounter twists or abort before implementing,while others go ahead smoothly,this paper conducts a theoretical analysis based on the theories and findings from policy science and communication studies,and then conducts a comparative case analysis with five purposely selected cases.It is found that the salience of the issue triggered by the new policy and authoritative intervention from higher( or highest) authorities are critical for answering above question.Specifically,the more the salience of the policy issue,the more the possible it be pulled into the ret-set systematic/public agenda and more uncertainty in its next step,the content of the debate in the re-set agenda depends on the type of the issue salience,and finally,of which side of the debate the higher authorities' intervention bias in favor determines whether the debating issue can go back into the decision making system and push it to change or even abandon the new policy.