Social policy development: a case study of community corrections in Tennessee

This thesis analyzed the development of the Tennessee Community Corrections Act (1985) utilizing Charles Lindblom's incremental model of social policy formulation. Incrementalism, non-comprehensiveness, successive comparisons, sufficing and pluralism, the components of the model, were used as categories to classify the interviewee's responses. Six respondents from civil service and interest groups were interviewed. Historical data, court decisions, and position papers from the Tennessee Department of Correction were also collected to compile a time line for corrections in Tennessee. Interviews and the time line were applied to the model in order to illustrate that this social policy was incremental in development.

The analysis demonstrated that respondents supported the components of incrementalism in social policy development. As well, the time line lent additional support to the model.