Conundrum of Policy Implementation: Using an Agent-Based Model to Compare Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches

• In Event: Push and Pull: Policy Implementation at the Federal, State, and Local Levels

Abstract

An unsolved issue in implementation research is when top-down approach or bottom-up approach is effective under what circumstances. Since most studies use single case studies, it is challenging to compare these two approaches across empirical contexts. This paper advances the understanding of implementation research by exploring relationships among variables that both schools scrutinize, namely willingness and knowledge of implementing agents, payoff structure, and the complexity of policy message. The paper proposes a novel methodology, agent-based modeling, to explore these relationships. Results show that when the complexity of the policy message is low, two approaches have similar implementation effectiveness. However, when the complexity of the policy message is high, even with high payoff, bottom-up approach has much higher implementation effectiveness.

Author

• Sha Li, Stanford University