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Jodi R Sandfort, Stephanie Moulton, Replication or Innovation? Structuration in Policy Implementation, Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, Volume 3, Issue 2, June 2020, Pages 141–154, https://doi.org/10.1093/ppmgov/gvz029
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Abstract
Why does a program, policy, or management approach implemented with success in one jurisdiction or organization fail to achieve similar results in another context? There is a large body of literature in public affairs and related fields that wrestle with this question. Scholars place varying emphasis on the constraints of the institutional system relative to humans’ agency in bringing about successful outcomes, and there is a tendency to generate lists of factors that enable or impede successful implementation. In this article, we present an alternative theoretical approach grounded in structuration processes. We turn to recent empirical scholarship and theory to re-examine what is known about structural elements that influence the implementation process: rules, routines, culture, and resources. This literature emphasizes that the work of these mechanisms is fundamentally shaped by endogenous factors within a system, fueled by the agency of actors within the setting. This is a more robust way to understand how microdynamics shape meso conditions in organizations and networks. Rather than understanding the implementation puzzle as how to replicate effective ideas, this frame suggests more attention to how to support innovation and learning is warranted.
