Multiple streams, multiple networks

Policy making is often perceived as a messy affair, and academics would often complain that the evidence they generate is only haphazardly used. This is certainly the case in urban health governance.

We discovered that Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Theory (about windows of opportunity opening between three fairly autonomously moving streams) can actually be enhanced with policy network theory (Hoeijmakers, M., E. De Leeuw, P. Kenis & N.K. de Vries (2007) Local health policy development processes in the Netherlands: an expanded toolbox for health promotion. Health Promotion International, 22 (2) 112-121 doi:10.1093).

We are developing a web-based tool that enables actors in urban health policy to dynamically view and process their position in policy networks, their relations to other (more, or less influential; peripheral or central; crucial or marginal) actors, and how changes in their perceptions and actions on problems, policies and politics would generate better opportunities for contributions to urban health policy. A potentially infinite number of actors will be able to map, measure and change their policy influence by regularly accessing and contributing to the policy network mapping tool.

A first dummy can be seen here. .

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