Discussion Questions
- Discuss the “paradox” or “conundrum” of American government that Mettler espouses. What is the purpose of her “four-fold argument” in response to these conditions?
- What does Mettler mean by “policyscape” and how does she characterize it? This is not an original idea for Mettler (few policy ideas are actually original). Instead, how does she build upon the existing literature on this concept? How does she distinguish her research on this concept?
- Briefly summarize the three types of policy effects that Mettler describes in detail.
- Discuss her use of higher education policy to illustrate these effects, using specific examples for each of these three types.
- What does Mettler conclude about policy maintenance, deferred policy maintenance and it’s implications for democracy?