PET Basics
Explains why policymaking often features long periods of stability interrupted by brief periods of major change.
What is Punctuated Equilibrium Theory?
This PET concept refers to how a policy problem is understood and portrayed, including its evidence and values.
What is a policy image?
This type of feedback reinforces existing policy arrangements and helps maintain stability.
What is negative feedback?
These are the institutional settings where policy decisions are made.
What are policy venues?
What 1925 horror film based on Gaston Leroux’s novel by the same name was made into successful Broadway musical?
What is the Phantom of the Opera?
A period in which a policy remains relatively stable, with mostly incremental adjustments.
Equilibrium
Framing cannabis use mainly as a criminal justice issue rather than a public health issue illustrates a shift in this:
What is the policy image?
This type of feedback can amplify attention and mobilization, potentially accelerating policy change.
What is positive feedback?
When advocates take an issue to a different decision-making setting because the current one is unreceptive, they are engaging in this:
What is venue shopping?
Where does the quote “Double, double toil and trouble” come from?
What is William Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
Concept describes the limited capacity of policymakers to attend to every issue at once.
limited attention
A dominant policy image can help maintain stability because it does this:
What is reinforce an established understanding of the problem and its solutions?
This limited resource helps explain why many problems receive little attention while a few dominate the agenda.
What is policymakers' attention?
A group whose proposal is rejected by a provincial ministry approaches a municipal council. This is an example of this strategy:
What is venue shopping?
Which Halloween candy was originally referred to as chicken feed?
What is candy corn?
A punctuation is best distinguished from incremental change by this feature.
What is a substantial or rapid shift in policy?
A public health coalition reframes sugary drinks from a matter of individual choice to a population-health issue. It is trying to change this:
What is the policy image?
A public controversy attracts media coverage, new advocates, and political debate. In PET, this may help produce this process.
What is positive feedback?
In a cannabis policy debate, advocates approach public health agencies, legislatures, and community organizations. They are trying to influence policy through these:
What are different policy venues and actors?
According to the lyrics of “Monster Mash,” who are the guests of the Halloween party?
Who are Wolfman, Dracula and his son?
PET is especially useful because it seeks to explain both these two patterns in policymaking.
What are stability and major change?
A new image gains attention, but no policy changes. This demonstrates why a shift in framing alone is not sufficient evidence of this.
What is a policy punctuation?
A policy receives intense media attention, but its rules and funding remain unchanged. The most defensible conclusion is this:
What is increased attention without a demonstrated policy punctuation?
Venue shopping alone may fail if the new venue lacks this essential feature.
What is the authority or capacity to influence the relevant policy decision?
The correct hierarchy of the Nestle box of 4 (Aero, Coffee Crisp, Kit Kat, and Smarties) is as follows (objective):
What are
1) Kit Kat
2) Coffee Crisp
3) Smarties
4) Aero?