The Role of Regulatory Agencies in Framing Public Problems: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the role of regulatory agencies in framing public problems. It is well acknowledged that regulatory agencies are becoming key actors in the policy process. To this extent, a common understanding regarding the delegation of regulatory agencies relates to the fact that they solve problems rather than define them. Although the literature on framing and regulatory agencies is abundant, studies questioning the combination of these two phenomena are scarce. In this paper, a specific "framing index" is developed to measure the involvement of 36 regulators in framing issues in two sectors, namely food safety and environmental protection. This measurement is applied to a cross-national and cross-sectorial fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The main results indicate that when agencies are highly involved in framing, they are old, they have a low number of staff members, and the risk of venue shifting is low. El papel de las agencias reguladoras en la definici on de problemas p ublicos: un an alisis emp ıricoEste documento saca a la luz el papel de las agencias reguladoras en la definici on de problemas p ublicos. Se sabe bien que las agencias reguladoras se est an convirtiendo en actores clave en el proceso de pol ıtico. En este sentido, un entendimiento com un con respecto a la delegaci on de agencias reguladoras se relaciona con el hecho de que estas resuelven problemas en lugar de definirlos. A pesar de que la literatura acerca de la definici on de las agencias regulatorias es abundante, son escasos los estudios que cuestionen la combinaci on de estos dos fen omenos. En este documento se 285

Informed, involved, or empowered? Three ideal types of autism policy design in Western Europe

“…Fuzzy set ideal type analysis (FSITA) (Ciccia, 2017; Kvist, 2007) assesses the extent to which a case corresponds to the criteria that constitute an ideal type. Based on fuzzy set theory as outlined by Ragin (Guaschino, 2019; Ragin, 2000), it can use any qualitative coding data. It is relevant as an initial exploration of the usefulness of the ideal types hypothesized.…”

“…The choice of language in policy documents, particularly in the wording of goals, is important (Freeman & Maybin, 2011). Goals give insight into how the target group is viewed (Guaschino, 2019; Schneider & Ingram, 1990). Does the policy seek to change the behavior of the target group (implying that there is something about them that needs to change) or the behavior of others toward them?…”

Policymaking in multiple European cases

“…第二篇应用fsQCA方法的文章由作者Edoardo Guaschino 撰写。Guaschino比较了源自多个国家的36个食品安全与环境保护监管机构，以识别出“能决定监管机构在建构公共问题时所发挥的作用”的条件。虽然“欧盟成员资格”这一条件在食品安全和环境保护这两个领域中发挥的效果不同，但其他情形，例如高龄和低风险的决策场所转移（venue shifting），似乎与其他部门相关。…”

“…Los autores utilizan análisis de documentos y entrevistas para comparar los efectos de la divulgación de información de la UE en relación con dos directivas en tres estados miembros. Edoardo Guaschino () proporciona una segunda aplicación del método fsQCA. Compara 36 agencias reguladoras para la seguridad alimentaria y la protección del medio ambiente en varios países para identificar las condiciones que determinan su papel en la formulación de los problemas públicos.…”

“…A second application of the fsQCA method is provided by Edoardo Guaschino (). He compares 36 regulatory agencies for food safety and environmental protection in multiple countries to identify conditions that determine their role in framing public issues.…”