ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a number of different theories that purport to explain the process by which public policy is made. The regulatory policy cycle is a specific application of the policy cycle tailored to the regulatory endeavour. The policy cycle, in turn, is one of several models that purport to explain the public policy process more generally. The regulatory policy cycle falls within the normative, rational school. It provides a comparatively simple, logical and easy-to-understand framework through which to study and examine the regulatory endeavour. The regulatory policy cycle is one of the systems that bring structure and order to the regulatory process. The rational expectation is that good evidence will build momentum through the regulatory policy cycle and, ultimately, lead to better decisions and better outcomes. The more the politics of an issue are aligned, the quicker and smoother the passage of that issue through the stages of the regulatory policy cycle.
