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A FRAMEWORK for ANALYZING STATE POLICY FORMATION in an ERA of RESURGENT PRIVATE POWER by PATRICK MCKELLAR E

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A FRAMEWORK for ANALYZING STATE POLICY FORMATION in an ERA of RESURGENT PRIVATE POWER by PATRICK MCKELLAR E THE BOOSTER NETWORK: A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING STATE POLICY FORMATION IN AN ERA OF RESURGENT PRIVATE POWER by PATRICK MCKELLAR EMBRY Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN URBAN AFFAIRS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON May 2006 Copyright © by Patrick McKellar Embry 2006 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank first and foremost my committee chair, Jianling Li, for her help and encouragement to me during this thesis writing process. Also, thank you to Jim Cornehls and Enid Arvidson for the time and effort they contributed in their role as committee members. All three lent their knowledge and efforts to make this the best thesis possible. I would also like to thank Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman, with whom I interned in 2005, who shared many insights into the Texas legislative process. Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, and other SUPA faculty members, especially my academic advisor Edith Barrett, who have offered their support not only these past months, but throughout my time as a master’s student. March 31, 2006 iii ABSTRACT THE BOOSTER NETWORK: A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING STATE POLICY FORMATION IN AN ERA OF RESURGENT PRIVATE POWER Publication No. _______ Patrick McKellar Embry, MA The University of Texas at Arlington, 2006 Supervising Professor: Jianling Li The continuing shift toward privatization has created new opportunities for private participation in transportation policy formation, infrastructure development, and service provision. The resulting high stakes have drawn a variety of traditionally powerful private players to overtly participate in Texas state policy making. Understanding policy formation in this era of resurgent private power is imperative because the outcomes will affect urban development, population distribution, and subsequent politics and policy. With this paper, I analyze Trans Texas Corridor policy formation using a new framework, the booster network. The framework is based in policy studies and urban iv development literatures, conceptualizes policy formation in five parts anchored to the legislative process, identifies players, and explains how they influence substantive policy outcomes. My methodology features an instrumental case study, designed to develop the framework, which includes a literature review and analyses of governmental documents and video of state legislative activity, supplemented by newspaper articles. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x PART 1. HISTORICAL, METHODOLOGICAL, AND THEORETICAL DIMENSIONS OF POLICY FORMATION ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1. TRANS TEXAS CORRIDOR AND BOOSTER NETWORK.............................................. 2 1.1. Introduction...................................................................................................................... 2 1.2. Booster Network Analytical Framework ......................................................................... 3 1.3. Trans Texas Corridor Background................................................................................... 6 1.3.1. History....................................................................................................................... 6 1.3.2. Policy Context........................................................................................................... 8 1.4. Summary of Thesis Contents......................................................................................... 11 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 14 2.1. Methodological Basis of Research Design .................................................................... 16 2.2. Description of Research Process.................................................................................... 18 2.2.1. Beginnings .............................................................................................................. 18 2.2.2. Research Design: Original vs. Revised................................................................... 18 2.2.3. Narrative Analysis .................................................................................................. 20 2.2.4. Additional Data Collection ..................................................................................... 21 vi 2.2.5. Preparation and Execution of the Content Analysis ............................................... 22 2.2.6. Revision and Framework Adjustment .................................................................... 25 3. URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY STUDIES LITERATURES ........................... 27 3.1. Urban Development....................................................................................................... 27 3.1.1. 19th Century Urban Development ........................................................................... 27 3.1.2. Growth Machine Theory......................................................................................... 29 3.2. Policy Studies................................................................................................................. 31 3.2.1. Policy Design Theory ............................................................................................. 34 3.2.2. Politicians and Experts............................................................................................ 36 4. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK.......................................................................................... 38 4.1. Booster Network Framework Statement........................................................................ 38 4.1.1. The Booster Network.............................................................................................. 41 4.1.2. Policy Formulation and Issue Definition ................................................................ 42 4.1.3. Proposal Elaboration and Policy Design................................................................. 43 4.1.4. Legislation............................................................................................................... 44 4.1.5. Goal Structure and Network Coordination ............................................................. 44 4.2. Application of the Framework....................................................................................... 47 4.3. Further Explanation of Framework Procedural Stages.................................................. 48 4.3.1. From Policy Design Theory to Booster Network Framework................................ 48 4.3.2. Policy Formulation and Issue Definition ................................................................ 51 4.3.3. Proposal Elaboration and Policy Design................................................................. 52 4.3.4. Legislation............................................................................................................... 59 vii PART 2. CASE STUDY: TRANS TEXAS CORRIDOR............................................................ 64 5. POLICY FORMULATION AND ISSUE DEFINITION .................................................... 65 5.1. Setting ............................................................................................................................ 65 5.1.1. Texas 130 and U.S. 183-A...................................................................................... 66 5.1.2. Eastern or Western Bypass?.................................................................................... 69 5.1.3. U.S. 183 History before the 77th Legislature .......................................................... 73 5.2. Policy Formulation......................................................................................................... 73 5.2.1. The 77th Legislature: Formulation .......................................................................... 74 5.2.2. U.S. 183 after the 77th Legislature .......................................................................... 76 5.3. Issue Definition.............................................................................................................. 77 5.3.1. Trans Texas Corridor Unveiling ............................................................................. 77 5.3.2. Narrative Analysis of Perry’s Press Release........................................................... 78 6. PROPOSAL ELABORATION AND POLICY DESIGN.................................................... 83 6.1. Proposal Elaboration...................................................................................................... 83 6.1.1. Promulgation of Regional Mobility Authority Rules ............................................. 84 6.1.2. TxDOT and the Action Plan .................................................................................. 85 6.1.3. Central Texas Toll Project: A Key to the Evolving Corridor Proposal .................. 87 6.1.4. CTRMA .................................................................................................................
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