ABSTRACT
The Multiple Streams Framework (MSF), one of the most tested policy process theories in Western political contexts, has been instrumental in enabling Chinese scholars to observe the dynamics and complexity of China’s policy processes. However, most applications of the MSF in China have focused on processes at the national level of government rather than at the local level of government, including agenda setting and implementation. In order to explain the process undertaken by a local government agency to refine and implement the policy goals set by the higher-level government agency, this study modifies the MSF by categorizing the policy window into two distinct types: ‘Tiao-window’ and “Kuai-window”. The adapted framework analyzes the entrepreneurial role and strategic actions taken by a local ‘Tiao’ agency that successfully advanced the agenda of combating counterfeit cigarette policy from the ‘Tiao-window’ to the ‘Kuai-window’. Furthermore, it mobilized cross-agency resources to implement the policy. This study demonstrates how the MSF can be adapted to explain the integrated process of local government agenda setting and implementation.
