Intergovernmental Relations and the Advocacy Coalition Framework: The Operation of Federalism in Denver Water Politics

Abstract

The relationship between intergovernmental relations and the formulation and implementation of public policies is not well understood by scholars. Borrowing from the advocacy coalition framework, this study contends that public policies reflect the strategic choices of federal, state, and local actors operating within policy subsystems. The success of various governmental policy strategies is dependent on the autonomy of each actor and the level of policy fragmentation within the subsystem. These variables are defined, operationalized, and examined within the context of intergovernmental relations in Denver water politics.