Target Groups on the Mainline: A Theoretical Framework of Policy Layering and Learning Disparity

AuthorTaehyon Choi,So Won Seon
Published date01 April 2021
Date01 April 2021
DOI10.1177/0095399720949853
Subject MatterArticles
https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399720949853
Administration & Society
2021, Vol. 53(4) 595 –618
© The Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0095399720949853
journals.sagepub.com/home/aas
Article
Target Groups on the
Mainline: A Theoretical
Framework of Policy
Layering and Learning
Disparity
Taehyon Choi1 and So Won Seon1
Abstract
In research on policy learning, target groups’ responses have been
insufficiently investigated. This article aims to expand the theory of policy
learning by focusing on the effect of policy layering on disparity in learning
among target groups, and its social consequences. Using the case of South
Korea’s education policy, we show that policy layering to pursue multiple
goals over 25 years has resulted in a complexly layered policy structure
that has generated a discriminatory effect among different target groups
and policy instability. We conclude that research on target groups renders
implications for effective and ethical policy learning.
Keywords
policy layering, policy learning, target group
Currently, education policy has frequently been linked to social inequality
and class mobility around the world (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Hoxby &
Avery, 2012; Hyman, 2017; Reeves, 2017). Particularly in South Korea, a
country where its “education fever” (Seth, 2002) is well known, a weird
1Seoul National University, South Korea
Corresponding Author:
So Won Seon, Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University, 418,
Building 57-1, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
Email: keepingit@snu.ac.kr
949853AASXXX10.1177/0095399720949853Administration & SocietyChoi and Seon
research-article2020
596 Administration & Society 53(4)
political landscape has unfolded around policy layering in college entrance
examination policy since 1994. On one hand, one sees the policymakers hav-
ing been exerting efforts to sophisticate policy layers to pursue academic
excellence, social equity, and college autonomy simultaneously; on the other
hand, there are the target groups who are the students and parents wrestling
with preparing the national standard exam and application packets, with their
complaints resonant over the burden to keep abreast of the complicated and
frequently changing policy. In a survey performed by the Korea Education
Development Institute (2018), simplification of the policy was selected as the
second most important after the college tuition policy. A challenging reality
is apparent in this contrast, as policy layering put forward to lead to sophisti-
cation of the system and aptly regarded as policy learning by policymakers is
not always appreciated by target groups. If target groups find difficulty in
understanding and complying with policy changes, can we even call them
policy learning, only from the policymakers’ viewpoint?
The concept of policy layering has provided a concrete theoretical con-
struct capable of reflecting the process and results of policy learning by poli-
cymakers and administrators, in response to political pressure to uphold the
policy’s core goals (Bick, 2016; Daugbjerg & Swinbank, 2016; Mahoney &
Thelen, 2010; Rudoler et al., 2019). This perspective assumes that policy
layers become more sophisticated in response to the evolution of policy prob-
lems, political resistance, or simply single-loop learning from policy imple-
mentation (Bick, 2016; Daugbjerg & Swinbank, 2016; Wellstead et al., 2016).
As the concept of layering has great potential to enrich policy learning
research by acknowledging nonstate actors’ influence on policy layers, non-
state actors’ roles and responses need to be considered more seriously. In
addition, the theoretical literature has traditionally focused on stakeholders
who are visible and actively involved in the policy process, while attention
has sparingly been given to the target groups who are relatively dissipated,
invisible, and passive in the policy process. Although target groups may not
be actively involved in policy learning process, their responses to policy lay-
ering can influence a political mechanism susceptible to policy instability.
The purpose of this study is to expand the theory of policy learning, by
exploring the effect of policy layering on target groups when they are differ-
entiated by their learning capacity. Specifically, we ask how policy layering
aiming to improve outcomes of a policy by sophisticating its structure is per-
ceived by target groups and consequently has a negative effect on social
equity and policy stability. We focus on the historical unfolding of policy
layering, disparities in learning among policymakers and different target
groups, and their perceived distributional effects, particularly when target
groups must actively spend great learning costs to get the most benefit from

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT