ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews Pat's key contributions to the literature and describes how he and his colleagues studied machinery changes. It considers how the distinct strands of research in the diverse literature on machinery changes have evolved from the 1960s to the present, allowing an assessment of what was distinctive and seminal about Pat's contributions. The chapter identifies blind spots and opportunities for the next generation of researchers in this area, while the conclusion offers some final reflections. Until the 1980s, the writing on government machinery was similar to literature on budgeting before Wildavsky published The Politics of the Budgetary Process: historical and dry. The chapter includes case studies of decisions made by prime ministers from 1960 to 1983.
