Global, national, and local policymakers alike face the same fundamental problem: A plethora of complex problems demand solutions, yet the inevitable limits of attention and resources means that only some make it onto government agendas (Kingdon 1984; Kingdon 2014; Keeler 1993; Baumgartner & Jones 1993; Zahariadis 2003; Zohlnhöfer et al. 2016; OECD 2023; UNDP 2024). But why do some make it while others do not? And why are some policies that are put on the agenda never adopted (Signé 2017a; Signé 2017b; Signé 2025)?
Policymakers face a variety of barriers to getting an issue on the agenda, whether it be limited bandwidth, too few resources, competing demands, urgent requests, political disagreements, or outside shocks. Poor agenda management comes with big consequences: critical issues go unaddressed, low-impact issues consume resources, policy windows close before viable solutions have enough evidence, and international opportunities (e.g. partnerships or finance schemes) go unutilized (Theodoulou and Kofinis, 2004, pp. 163-174). And when the government appears unfocused or unresponsive, stakeholder confidence erodes (Partnership for Public Service 2025; OECD 2024).
This report focuses on the agenda setting and policy adoption phases of the policymaking lifecycle. These phases are extremely important but distinct from the implementation and evaluation phases (Jann and Wegrich 2006): Even when an issue is placed on the agenda and a policy solution successfully adopted, significant obstacles for effective implementation can still arise, often resulting in a gap between the policy adopted and the outcomes achieved. While these gaps have been extensively studied in the policy implementation literature (Howlett 2019; Matland 1995; Sager et al. 2024; Signé 2017a, 2017b, 2025), more attention should be paid to the earlier stages of the policymaking process (Kingdon 1984; Kingdon 2014). This report examines why some issues are taken up on the agenda and why some policy options are adopted to become new public policies. Understanding these dynamics is essential for making sense of the policymaking process and for improving the likelihood that better policies are successfully adopted and ultimately implemented.
By exploring the evolution of the agenda-setting literature, this analysis provides policymakers with a practical framework for strategic agenda management, highlighting drivers of agenda setting and potential strategies to actively increase the likelihood that policies are adopted (UNDP 2024; OECD 2023). It in turn sets out four strategies available to policymakers to increase the likelihood of success in the agenda-setting and policy adoption phases of the policymaking lifecycle, dependent on the problem, policy, and political context at play. Policy adoption is successful when a policy idea, among competing alternatives during agenda setting, is selected and formally adopted as public policy.
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