ABSTRACT
The multiple streams framework (MSF) is frequently used to examine the policy process. In response to proposals for more MSF research beyond the USA and Europe, this chapter tests China-focused MSF hypotheses through a case study that identifies the driving forces of the 2004 amendment of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases. Consistent with calls for more transparent methods and more rigorous operationalization in MSF research, we apply qualitative and quantitative content analysis to a dataset of over 2,000 documents, including China Health Statistics, Chinese journal articles, legislative records, news articles, policy documents, and World Health Organization Disease Outbreak News. The analysis shows that, despite an increase in certain infectious diseases and despite proposals to amend the law in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the amendment was included in the legislative plan only after SARS. This pandemic opened problem and political windows, enabling agenda setting and policy adoption. The chapter demonstrates the MSF’s explanatory power in China’s context, while emphasizing the need for explicit refinement and operationalization.
