Driving Force for Local Policy Making and Development: Experience from Comparing Two Social Policies

This study adopts a revised multiple-stream model to compare and analyze the differences in dynamic mechanisms in the making and development process of two social policies of Guangxi Autonomous Region. Studies have shown that Kingdon s multi- ple-stream policy model can not only explain the policy agenda setting, but also interpret the process of policy making and development. Meanwhile, the model is applicable to the policy making process under the western political system featuring separation of powers, as well as the interpretation of the policy development under the rules of Chinese demo- cratic centralism. Under any political system, the making and development of public poli- cies is a very complicated process. According to the multiple-stream policy model, the comparative case study systematically describes some separate streams of problem, poli- cy, and politics in local policy making system and discusses the theoretical and empirical implications of the independent policy-stream hypothesis.