Original
Polarization Entrepreneurs: Dividing to Conquer in the Trump Era
Abstract
ABSTRACT The policy process literature has long theorized about the role of policy entrepreneurs, whom Paul Cairney calls the “hero... who knows that the pursuit of ambitious aims such as ‘evidence‐based policymaking’ requires framing a problem, having a solution ready, and exploiting the motive and opportunity of policymakers to select it” (2018, 199). The research agenda on policy entrepreneurs also holds great potential for another type of policy actor that we aim to introduce into the policy process lexicon: the polarization entrepreneur. These polarization entrepreneurs aim not to resolve the specific policy conflict at hand, but to advance broader strategic goals, such as solidifying their ideological base, expanding their influence across several policy subsystems, or gaining electoral advantage. We introduce the polarization entrepreneur as a policy actor who strategizes within policy spaces in ways we have not yet fully comprehended or theorized. We thus draw on the Multiple Streams Literature (MSF), the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) literature, as well as the political rise of Donald Trump to theorize about how these polarization entrepreneurs operate. We suggest a research agenda that presents a wealth of opportunity for policy scholars to better understand the policy system of our day.
中文
极化企业家：特朗普时代的分而治之
摘要
政策过程文献长期以来一直对政策企业家的角色进行理论化，保罗·凯尔尼（Paul Cairney）将之称为“英雄……他知道，追求诸如‘基于证据的政策制定’这类雄心勃勃的目标，需要界定问题、准备好解决方案，并利用决策者的动机和机会使其被采纳”（2018，199）。关于政策企业家的研究议程还为另一类政策行动者展现出巨大潜力，我们旨在将这类行动者引入政策过程词汇：极化企业家。这些极化企业家并不旨在解决眼前具体的政策冲突，而是要推进更广泛的战略目标，例如巩固其意识形态基本盘、扩大其在多个政策子系统中的影响力，或获取选举优势。我们将极化企业家引入为一种政策行动者，其在政策空间中制定策略的方式尚未被我们充分理解或理论化。因此，我们借鉴多源流文献（MSF）、倡导联盟框架（ACF）文献，以及唐纳德·特朗普的政治崛起，来对极化企业家如何运作进行理论化。我们提出一个研究议程，为政策学者更好地理解当今的政策体系提供了丰富机会。
关键词
极化企业家、政策企业家、政策过程、多源流框架、倡导联盟框架、特朗普、极化、美国政治