The absence of a standing army or police force meant the king relied on the cooperation of the local gentry to enforce law, which was difficult when elites themselves were sometimes party to local disturbances. Strategies for Effective Implementation
While Edwards III's framework is powerful on its own, implementation scholars increasingly recognize that no single model can capture the full complexity of policy implementation. Some recent research has attempted to integrate Edwards III's model with other influential frameworks to create more comprehensive analytical methods.
Parliament transitioned from an occasional court of appeal into an indispensable institution for policy formulation. To fund his campaigns in France, Edward III required extraordinary taxation. In exchange for subsidies, the Commons demanded the redress of grievances, which were codified into formal statutes. Public policy thus became a transactional negotiation, binding the crown to execute laws that reflected the socioeconomic interests of the tax-paying class. Statutory Authority vs. Executive Prerogative implementing public policy edward iii pdf
Even with clear communication and ample resources, implementation can still go wrong if the implementers themselves are not committed to the policy. Edwards observes that:
Adequate numbers of personnel with the requisite skills. The absence of a standing army or police
Edwards wrote Implementing Public Policy at a time when the field of policy studies was undergoing a fundamental shift. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, scholars had focused almost exclusively on policy formulation—how laws were made and decisions reached. However, by the 1970s, a growing body of research revealed that even the most carefully crafted policies often failed to achieve their intended outcomes. The missing link was implementation.
: JPs successfully bridge the gap between Westminster’s policy goals and county-level enforcement. The Declining Power of the Sheriff Parliament transitioned from an occasional court of appeal
Every able-bodied unemployed person was required to take an oath to accept work at the old wages. Refusal meant imprisonment. By forcing a performative act of compliance, Edward tried to create social consensus.