A comparative review of the pluralist, rational choice and neo-institutional theories in Ontario\u27s occupational health and safety policy.

Three prominent policy theories will be compared and ordered in their ability to explain the cause of policy change in Ontario\u27s occupational health and safety policy between 1974 and 1979. The number of potential theories is rather extensive but they have been grouped together according to their unique perspective of how policy is advanced, formed, implemented and evaluated. Causal policy phenomena are described as arising from three primary sources. The pluralist theory is associated with the society orientation, the rational choice theory represents the economic orientation and the recent neo-institutional theory derives from the state orientation. In the case of Ontario\u27s occupational health and safety policy it was changed by state policy actors as a mans of reducing the state\u27s fiscal vulnerability to real and potential rising costs of maintaining the policy status quo. The policy actors engaged in a rational process that isolated and recognized a small number of concepts that embodied the apparent policy costs shouldered by the state. Thus it appears that the state has transformed itself into a dominant self-serving actor that behaves according to the satisfaction of its own imperatives. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of History, Philosophy, and Political Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1992 .M355. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 31-04, page: 1582. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1992