Public policy formulation or policy panopticon? Revisiting the role of political elites in policymaking

Abstract Most public policy frameworks, such as the policy cycle, multiple streams, punctuated equilibrium, policy feedback, and advocacy coalition frameworks, originate from the global north, and their understanding of political elite dynamics remains limited and context-specific. In the global south, particularly in countries like India with distinct constitutional systems and governance structures, this narrow and limited perspective weakens the policy framework’s explanatory power, limiting their ability to address accountability, systemic inequities, and elite manipulation. This study revisits political elites and their will as a socio-political phenomenon, introducing the concept of the ‘policy panopticon’ to describe their pervasive influence on policymaking. The research adopts discourse analysis as its methodological framework to uncover ontological gaps in the public policy frameworks mentioned above. It specifically investigates how these frameworks address the role and influence of political elites and their political will in shaping policy processes. This analysis is based on key indicators derived from a comprehensive literature review of contemporary facets of political class theory, which are then applied within the discourse analysis methodology to examine policy frameworks. The findings highlight that existing policy frameworks fail to account for political willingness, particularly concerning techno-governance artefacts and political class influence. This gap in the literature underscores the need for further theoretical refinement and practical understanding of how political elites shape policy processes within diverse democratic contexts.