Skip Navigation


Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Advance Access originally published online on December 16, 2004
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 2006 16(1):45-65; doi:10.1093/jopart/mui024
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
16/1/45    most recent
mui024v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McDermott, K. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory © 2004 Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Inc.; all rights reserved.

Incentives, Capacity, and Implementation: Evidence from Massachusetts Education Reform

Kathryn A. McDermott

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Address correspondence to the author at mcdermott{at}educ.umass.edu

Since the 1980s, most of the states and the U.S. federal government have enacted policies based upon the theory of standards-based education reform. These policies attempt to use incentives to overcome the difficulty of implementing policy in a loosely coupled system. This article presents a case study of the implementation of standards-based reform in Massachusetts. The case study shows how poorly thought-out incentive structures, lack of capacity, and lack of trust impeded implementation of the reforms. The Massachusetts experience has implications for the education reform movement nationwide, because Massachusetts has been a leader in the movement. Analysis of the Massachusetts case also contributes to the literature on how context affects policy implementation.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.