The University of Texas at Austin

Event: Four Policy Planning Stories in Search of a Theory

Speaker(s): Stephen Krasner, former State Department Director of Policy Planning

Date: March 5, 2008

Length: 75 minutes

Description: Stephen Krasner, former State Department Director of Policy Planning, discussed what he characterized as the haphazard way in which particular policy ideas are chosen and implemented in organizations. Krasner asserted that policy planning does not follow the rational actor model, but rather resembles more a “garbage can” model wherein numerous policy ideas sit waiting to find a problem with which to be attached. Therefore, even if there is a fantastic policy idea in academia, the idea likely would not get put into action unless it happens to fit into a short-lived “policy window”. Krasner described this policy window as the random confluence of problem generation (such as a crisis), the generation of policy alternatives (those persuaded to be removed from the garbage can), and most importantly, politics.

To support his claim, Krasner related four stories of policy planning he was involved with—including the implementation of policies such as transformational diplomacy and the idea of the responsible stakeholder in international affairs—which came together as a consequence of the need to confront a problem and the personal connections of the decision makers.

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