ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the contents of public policies and attempts to classify them. The analysis deals with the way in which established policy network structures influence the contents of policy reforms and new policies when outsiders set the agenda. The book argues that fundamental policy change in an old, well-established policy sector is most likely to occur when the existing sectoral policy network is not cohesive, when the organisational structure of the state centralises authority and when the parliamentary support of the group subject to policy change is limited. It examines which policies governments chose to cope with the problems raised by outsiders. The Swedish nitrate policy is a high cost policy whereas the Danish nitrate policy is a low cost policy.
