Introduction

Abstract

AbstractLong-term policy developments can be shaped by social groups of policy actors and policy programs. This observation has made the Programmatic Action Framework (PAF) the starting point of a relatively new perspective that provides a complementary view on policy processes. It assumes that, based on shared biographical intersections, policy actors coalesce around a policy program to achieve policy change in order to advance their own authority and careers in a policy area. Meanwhile, the perspective of programmatic action has been successfully applied to other contexts, yet so far without a systematic reflection on the institutional preconditions necessary for programmatic action to take place. Programmatic groups and programs are essentially shaped by institutions. A systematic evaluation of these institutions is important, especially when one wants to apply the perspective in different countries and at different times. Based on in-depth comparative case studies, this book explores the question of what institutions are necessary for the formation and success of groups.