noted scholar once noted, "he who would understand the prevailing pattern of our present governmental behavior, instead of studying the formal institutions...may possibly obtain a better picture of the way things really happen if he would study these 'whirlpools' of special social interest and problems" (Griffith, 182-83).
Those who follow this particular line of reasoning believe that the study of informal coalitions based on relationships between individuals in the policy process can be more important for understanding public policy outcomes than the study of formal institutions. In a sense, the structure of a problem and the institutions involved form the framework in which public policy is developed, but it is the people operating within the framework and interacting with each other that drive the process of arriving at a public policy outcome (Griffith).
Political analysis, however, also depends on the level of government that is being examined. National-level policies in the United States are set by the P
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