THE AGENDA-SETTING GOVERNMENT RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK: THE CASE OF ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION IN KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZ REPUBLIC (2008-2017)

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/241While similarly taking an actor-centric approach to studying agenda-setting interactions, this paper seeks to fill a gap in existing policy research by explicitly assuming the government’s capacity and motivation to withstand the external pressure that is often exerted by other key actors, and thus by introducing a concept of government resilience as applied to agenda-setting. It furthermore attempts to quantify the notion of government resilience, thus addressing the issue of operationalizing a change in public policy. Reflective of growing calls among scholars to look into policy change in the developing world, this paper develops a framework that could be useful not only in assessing the degree of resilience of a certain actor, e.g. the government, as applied to agenda-setting but used as a diagnostic tool to assess the government’s capacity to pursue its agenda and implement policy measures. Seeking to explore the potential applicability of the new framework in the context of economic diversification across two post-Soviet nations – Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – this study looks into the time span of 2008-2017

AGENDA-SETTING, PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY TRANSFER IN THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL

This study analyzes policy convergence and coordination in policymaking for sustainability, taking place in the context of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It explores the policy choices of GCC countries in relation to agenda-setting, policy learning, policy convergence and coordination as a case of South-South transfer in the Middle East region, which is a relatively understudied aspect of the intensive diversification efforts of Gulf States. The study concludes that limited regional integration among GCC countries makes their relations more difficult. Individual national interests are prioritized over regional policy transfer and convergence. Moreover, some members choose to position closer to Western and Global perspective on development agenda. Consequently, they are keener to adopt environmental policies