Dissecting Policy Designs: An Application of the Institutional Grammar Tool
Abstract
An enduring challenge for the policy and political sciences is valid and reliable
depiction of policy designs. One emerging approach for dissecting policy designs is
the application of Sue Crawford and Elinor Ostrom's institutional grammar tool. The
grammar tool offers a method to identify, systematically, the core elements that comprise
policies, including target audiences, expected patterns of behavior, and formal modes
of sanctioning for noncompliance. This article provides three contributions to the
study of policy designs by developing and applying the institutional grammar tool.
First, we provide revised guidelines for applying the institutional grammar tool to
the study of policy design. Second, an additional component to the grammar, called
the oBject, is introduced. Third, we apply the modified grammar tool to four policies
that shape Colorado State Aquaculture to demonstrate its effectiveness and utility
in illuminating institutional linkages across levels of analysis. The conclusion summarizes
the contributions of the article as well as points to future research and applications
of the institutional grammar tool. © 2011 Policy Studies Organization.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6737Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1111/j.1541-0072.2010.00397.xPublication Info
Siddiki, S; Weible, Christopher M; Basurto, Xavier; & Calanni, J (2011). Dissecting Policy Designs: An Application of the Institutional Grammar Tool. Policy Studies Journal, 39(1). pp. 79-103. 10.1111/j.1541-0072.2010.00397.x. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6737.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Xavier Basurto
Associate Professor of Sustainability Science
I am interested in the fundamental question of how groups (human and non-human) can
find ways to self-organize, cooperate, and engage in successful collective action
for the benefit of the common good. To do this I strive to understand how the institutions
(formal and informal rules and norms) that govern social behavior, interplay with
biophysical variables to shape social-ecological systems. What kind of institutions
are better able to govern complex-adaptive systems? and how can societies (la

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