On public policy implementation: a systematic review of the literature and research agenda

Abstract

Studies on the implementation of public policies have sought better ways to understand the flaws and the reality of this process. Based on a systematic literature review that included bibliometric analysis, this article points out the historiography and research fronts on the subject and analyzes authorship and authors' co-citation networks. Subsequently, a meta-analysis of the publications that make up the final theoretical portfolio (constructed through the year of publication, number of citations and journal impact factor) presents the prevailing theoreticalperspectives and models, the empirical results and the gaps of each work. Results point out that themes such as governance, sustainable development, e-government, street-level bureaucracy, health policies and decentralization of public administration processes bring a relevant research scenario to theorizations and empirical applications of the discussions of the field. Finally, a future research agenda is presented.