The Evolution of Public Policy: Cars and the Environment

How is U.S. public policy made? This comprehensive survey, designed to help students and scholars understand the complexity of policymaking, traces the Employee Commute Option (ECO) step by step from initial idea through enactment and implementation to evaluation and reformulation. The authors integrate two dominant theories in the policy analysis literature—the policy cycle model and the advocacy coalition framework—using them to examine transportation options mandated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. They also analyze the social and economic impact of environmental policy on private companies and their employees when states attempt to clean the air and reduce congestion by legislating against the love affair between U.S. citizens and their cars. Drawing on original documents and rich data on ECO, this study is the perfect introduction to the policymaking process.