Multiple Streams Analysis

The Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) is a theory of agenda setting and policy change developed by John Kingdon in his 1984 book Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. It explains why some issues rise to prominence and some solutions are adopted while others languish, by modelling the policy process as three largely independent 'streams' — problems, policies, and politics — that flow through the system. Change becomes possible when these streams are joined together at a fleeting 'policy window', often through the efforts of a 'policy entrepreneur'. The framework emphasises ambiguity, timing and chance over orderly, rational problem-solving.