ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book explores whether policy network analysis can help to explain why agri-environmental policies and agricultural policy reforms differ. The theoretical models suggest that policy makers have opportunities to bring about fundamental policy change, i.e. third order agricultural policy reforms and/or high cost agri-environmental policies, when a non-cohesive policy network exists in the agricultural sector, when farmers' structural power in parliament has declined, and when the state is centralised. The decline of farmers' structural power in parliament also helps to explain why Swedish policy makers adopted a third order agricultural policy reform. Since the European Parliament has no legislative powers and can only express its opinion in agricultural policy making, there was no point in comparing it with the Swedish parliament.
