The analysis of policy implementation involves the researcher and practitioner in what often constitutes the most complex and rich part of a public policy process. In effect, this phase of the ‘policy life cycle’ brings about a direct relationship between the public actors of the political-administrative arrangement (PAA), the target groups, the end beneficiaries and third-party groups (positively and negatively affected third parties). In this analysis considerable attention is given to target groups. Where the distinctions between target groups, beneficiary groups and third parties are less clear, or not applicable to the argument, the loose expression ‘affected groups’ is used to encompass all groups.

The following sections deal, firstly, with the concept of ‘implementation’ (Section 9.1) from the perspective of classical theory on policy implementation and recent developments in this area (Section 9.2). From the policy analyst's perspective what is involved at this stage is the study of the interaction between these actors so as to reach an understanding of the in situ functioning or failure of a policy.

Secondly, we define the products of this stage of the policy process from an operational perspective, that is, the action plans (APs) (Section 9.3) and administrative products (Section 9.4). By analysing certain types of implementation processes, we then indicate the relationships between the different types of actors involved that need to be subject to a relational analysis so as to facilitate the identification of the factors behind the success and failure of a policy (Section 9.5).

9.1 Definition of policy implementation

It is necessary to start by providing a precise definition of the ‘implementation’ of a policy as this term is used both widely and selectively in different countries and/or schools of political and administrative science.

Many North American authors use the term implementation to designate all activities involving the execution of a piece of legislation. This term, which is also adopted in Germany by the Forschungsverbund Implementation politischer Programme (Research Association for the Implementation of Political Programmes) (see Bohnert and Klitzsch, 1980), incorporates into the concept of ‘implementation’ all of the political-administrative processes that follow on from parliamentary decision making. Thus, this definition includes the development of all the elements of political-administrative programmes (PAPs) contained in governmental decrees that are not subject to separate parliamentary decisions.