Structures for policy implementation - An analysis of national legislation, 1965-1966 and 1993-1994

Public administration has long considered the administrative agency as the core institution shaping action But specialists in policy implementation in particular, have suggested that networks spanning multiple organizations m ay be important phenomena. National legislation from two Congresses is anal yzed to determine the kinds of structures explicitly stipulated or encourag ed for new or amended programs. The most important questions have to do wit h the extent to which single-agency or networked (multiactor) structures ar e used and the relative degree to which intergovernmental versus intragover nmental programs are prominent The evidence shows that the great majority o f legislation requires multiacter structures spanning governments, sectors, and/or agencies; intergovernmental programs are especially prominent and t he multiactor character of the structures has remained relatively constant. These findings carry implications for the study and practice of public adm inistration.