Abstract
Purpose. AB 939 mandated a 50% reduction in California's landfilled waste by the year 2000. While some jurisdictions have met that goal, many have not, and plans are now in the works to increase the rate to 75% by 2020. This multi-modal study examines the effect of an advocacy coalition on the success of landfilled waste reduction in one California county. The study also investigates the factors that influence diversion rates to test the relevancy of generalized approaches to waste reduction programs. Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework of this study was based on the research foundation of Sabatier's Advocacy Coalition Framework, its supporting theoretical construct, and theories of learning over time. Methodology. The examination of the program was structured to consider both stable parameters and dynamic system events, which Sabatier posits must be separated to effectively analyze policy change. After analyzing the factors that influence diversion rates, a selective case study was performed to investigate and explain the dynamics related to the theoretical framework. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and ranked quantitative data were collected during interviews with SWAT members, then analyzed against each of nine research questions originating with Sabatier's 12 hypotheses and supported by the literature. Findings. Analysis of the factors affecting waste diversion considered population, economic, and cultural considerations but found no statistically significant correlations. Interviews with SWAT members indicated that those who identified themselves as motivated and holding a leadership role in the coalition assigned more value to it. Further, those who assigned higher value to the coalition were more likely to utilize that association for future waste diversion planning and other programmatic challenges. Conclusions. This analysis supports the desirability of locally-directed advocacy coalitions. However, given the absence of a useful coalition, a public organization will do one of two things. Either it will reach out to other like organizations to establish teaming bonds or it will turn inward and become an internally directed, self-actuated learning organization. This study adds to the body of knowledge regarding the benefit of advocacy coalitions, inter-jurisdictional cooperation, and effects of generalized public programs.