Policy entrepreneurs and promotion of Australian state knowledge economies

Abstract

Policy entrepreneurs seek to shift the status quo in given areas of public policy. In doing so, they work closely with others, and their activities call for high levels of political skill. This article examines the actions of policy entrepreneurs who promoted the development of knowledge economies in two Australian states: Queensland and Victoria. During the past two decades, national and sub-national governments around the world have sought to nurture knowledge economies within their borders. Our analysis of knowledge economy advocacy improves understanding of how specific individuals – as strategic team builders – can promote major policy change. This focus on team work and coalition-building as central elements of the process of policy entrepreneurship offers a corrective to some earlier studies that inappropriately conferred lone hero status to policy entrepreneurs.

政策企业家们试图改变公共政策特定领域内的现状。在这个过程中，他们与他人密切合作，他们的活动呼唤高水平的政治技巧。本文考察了政策企业家在澳大利亚的昆士兰和维多利亚两个州促进知识经济的行动。在过去二十年里，世界各地国家以及次国家政府都想在自己的版图内培育知识经济。我们对知识经济促进情况的分析有助于更好地理解何以某些个人如战略团队的建设者们可以促成重要的战略转变。本文聚焦团队工作以及联盟建设，将其视为政策企业家活动的核心因素。这样一种视角是对以往过分强调个人英雄的一种修正。

Keywords:

• Australian state politics
• knowledge economy
• policy entrepreneurs
• policy entrepreneurship
• policymaking
• technology transfer

Notes

1 In total, 15 interviews were conducted by Chris Salisbury and Joannah Luetjens in Brisbane and Melbourne, respectively, between December 2012 and February 2014. Initial participants were chosen based on their achievements within and outside of government. Subsequent participants were chosen based on the Snowball Sampling technique – a non-probability sampling technique used to identify potential subjects in studies where subjects are difficult to locate (see Flick 2009: 109–10).