ABSTRACT

Contemporary theories of corporatism go beyond characterizing the demandmaking phase and suggest features of later policymaking stages. Policy certainly includes promises and laws, but it especially includes what government actually does. In 1970s, President Luis Echeverria of Mexico announced a policy of electoral reforms to make the Mexican system more democratic; the policy became known as the democratic opening. One of the most common approaches used in the study of public policy is to view the policy process as a series of sequential steps or stages. In Latin America, in contrast with the United States, virtually all policy formulation activity occurs somewhere within the executive branch; the legislature plays no meaningful role. One of the oldest, and most heavily criticized, models of policymaking is the rational, or rational comprehensive model, as some call it. The incremental model, more commonly known as incrementalism, has come to be one of the most popular descriptions and explanations of policymaking.