As shown in the Figure, policy influences need to be translated into specific policy responses. This will depend on agents of change (or resistance) - individuals and institutions that are strategically placed and that will define the specific responses to these general influences at any one time.
Agents of change (or resistance) may include:
- key figures in the administration and the political system
- people and institutions that are influential in determining whether a momentum for change builds up or is resisted
- formal lobbies and representations, the media and respected ‘public opinion formers’ who are critical in defining responses to event
