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Learning in the bath-tub: the micro and macro dimensions of the causal relationship between learning and policy change

Dunlop, CA; Radaelli, CM; (2017) Learning in the bath-tub: the micro and macro dimensions of the causal relationship between learning and policy change. Policy and Society , 36 (2) pp. 304-319. 10.1080/14494035.2017.1321232. Green open access

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Abstract

Whilst the literature classifies policy learning in terms of types or ontological approaches (reflexive and social constructivist learning versus rational up-dating of priors), we offer a three-dimensional approach to explore the relationships between individual learning, learning in groups and the macro-dimension. Our contribution maps most (although not all) lively debates in the field on a multi-dimensional space and explores the logic of causality from micro to macro. To achieve these two aims, we draw on Coleman’s ‘bath-tub’. We map learning in the bath-tub by considering prominent studies on learning but also, in some cases, by exploring and drawing lessons from political science and behavioural sciences. By integrating findings in an eclectic way, we explain the logic of learning using a single template and suggest methods for empirical analysis. This is not a literature review but an original attempt to capture the causal architecture of the field, contributing to learning theory with findings from mainstream political and behavioural sciences.

Type: Article
Title: Learning in the bath-tub: the micro and macro dimensions of the causal relationship between learning and policy change
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/14494035.2017.1321232
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2017.1321232
Language: English
Additional information: © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Social Sciences, Political Science, Public Administration, Government & Law, Causality, cognition, micro-foundations, policy change, policy learning, theories of the policy process, LESSONS, SOCIALIZATION, EUROPE, SCIENCE, STATE
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Political Science
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10056818
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