ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the policy influence that derives from the resources that each actor possesses is constrained by the resources of other, competing actors. It discusses a theory of public policy making. The theory of relative resources leads to propositions and hypotheses that often run counter to those of other, competing theories—such as interest group capture. The theory of relative resources suggests that when interest groups possess a resource advantage over politicians and bureaucrats, interest groups should lead in policy influence. The relative resources theory also suggests that the preferences of bureaucrats and politicians should affect the magnitude of the rate ratio. The theory integrates the literature on political, bureaucratic, and interest group influence through the concept of relative resources. Theoretically, relative resources provides with a statistically powerful but also rich and subtle explanation of policy making.
