Advocacy coalition formation and key actors within the policy

Abstract

The article discusses advocacy coalition formation and the roles of key actors in science, technology and innovation (ST&I) policies for social inclusion in a subnational context. The policy subsystem category and concept of advocacy coalition are used in the context of the advocacy coalition framework and address the need to understand the influences of key actors (policy broker and policy entrepreneur) on it. The policy subsystem was outlined using case-oriented research and the discourse was analyzed in order to understand the policy actors’ beliefs. The analysis of two cases of ST&I policy processes for social inclusion (assistive technology and social technology) highlighted policy broker and policy entrepreneur key roles in the emergence of policy subsystems, but had different effects on advocacy coalition formation. The policy entrepreneur had a closer relationship with advocacy coalition building when setting up regular mechanisms to share beliefs and policy-oriented learning, as well as taking initiatives to coordinate the collective action of members in the early advocacy coalition. Although relevant in agenda setting and maintaining a specific social inclusion agenda in the policy process, the policy broker did not achieve a positive relationship with advocacy coalition building. The article corroborates the possibility of incorporating the concept of policy entrepreneur in analyses of the advocacy coalition framework and highlights this actor’s characteristics through this analytical model.

Barriers to Implementing Civic Education as a Compulsory Subject in Kabwe District Secondary Schools, Zambia

“…Novel insights highlight the urgency of addressing these barriers to ensure the successful delivery of the subject to all learners in the educational system. However, the identified barriers can collectively impede the implementation of civic education as a compulsory subject and that of shaping responsible and informed citizens as highlighted by [31,32]. Identifying and addressing such barriers is crucial to addressing the implementation process for the subject to be allinclusive so that no learner is left behind in Kabwe District and beyond.…”

Community sport, Australian sport policy, and advocacy: The views of community sport club officials

“…Nor is it directly applied or operationalized in the community sport context. The ACF is presented as a holistic opportunity (Gabehart & Weible, 2023; Rodrigues, Vasconcellos Sobrinho, & Vasconcellos, 2020) to gain a complete picture of the sport policy process (Bergsgard, 2018), offering the potential for modifying top‐down policy directives on a more localized level (Doherty et al, 2022; Vail, 2007) and representing a “valuable starting point for the development of analytical frameworks capable of illuminating the sport policy area” (Houlihan, 2005, p. 174). Hence this exploratory research sets the scene and provides a possible avenue to address the research findings.…”