Local Implementation of Public Policy: Further Notes on the Anatomy of Delay

Pressman and Wildavsky's model of delay in the implementation of public policy is examined and found to consist of three elements: the intensity of preferences of the people making the decision, the level of resources, and the degree to which negative attitudes toward a program are present. An addition to the Pressman and Wildavsky model is proposed, based on observations of policy implementation in middle-sized cities, in order to take into account the "decision environment" of implementation. It is hypothesized that, in an "uncertain" or "deficient" decision environment, delay is, in part, a function of insufficient information, lack of expertise, and other inadequacies that make it difficult to calculate the effects of a particular program.