Abstract

This paper aims at discussing the role assumed by ideas in the policy making process. Drawing on the foundational literature stemming from the neo-institutional perspective, I will show how ideas inform the process of creation, design, and implementation of policies. This implies a reflection on the concept of paradigm, an influential idea in itself: ideas and interests are intertwined in the definition of policy approaches and in the definition of what is labelled as a paradigmatic shift. The adoption of this concept caused a burgeoning debate between scholars: in particular, I will highlight the perspective that sees social change as a cumulative process of bricolage and negotiation, with a greater attention to the endogenous factors of paradigmatic change.