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Beyond the visible policy agenda: problem definitions disappearing from the agenda as nondecisions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2018

Ilana Shpaizman Open the ORCID record for Ilana Shpaizman [Opens in a new window]
Ilana Shpaizman*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Studies, Bar Ilan University, Israel
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In the agenda-setting process, prior to the decision-making process, there is a predecisional process whereby some issues are systematically blocked by powerful actors from being placed on the formal agenda. These issues are termed “nondecisions”. This article argues that the predecisional process exists not only at the issue level but also at the level of problem definitions. Because of the empirical challenge of studying problem definitions that are not on the formal agenda, the article suggests examining problem definitions that were on the formal agenda and then disappeared from it. Such problem definitions can be termed nondecisions when their disappearance is due to latent power mechanisms, such as anticipated reactions or information control. The article tests these arguments using two American policy cases: prescription drug prices and child care. In so doing, it sheds light on the predecisional process and expands our understanding of the politics of problem definitions.

Keywords

agenda-settingnondecisionspolicy processpowerproblem definitions
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 72 - 95
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2018 

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Footnotes

*

Previous version of this paper was presented at the 2017 CAP Annual Conference in Edinburgh and at the 2018 Annual Conference of the Israel Political Science Association.

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