Abstract
The paper argues that policy sciences suffer from uneven development between theory and empirical analysis. This is demonstrated in instrument choice scholarship which consists of two unrelated strands: (1) general and abstract theory, and (2) empirical research which is usually rooted at micro-level only, and is difficult to generalize.
It is argued that the insufficient connection between these two policy subfields can be bridged by development of middle-range theories and concepts such as policy practice. First, policy formulation scholarship is briefly summarized, with special emphasis on instrument choice.
Then the concept of "policy practice" is introduced as a "meso-level" bridge between theory and empirical findings. Theoretical arguments are illustrated on a case study of strategic policy workers in the Czech Republic.
The article concludes with some preliminary conclusions, and implications for the future of the policy sciences.