| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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was not substantially altered by either the Congress or the US courts. Thus, if learning did contribute to policy change, then that learning necessarily took place within the organizational walls of the FCC.
Second, organizational learning theory offers a framework well suited to explaining many of the features (discussed earlier in this chapter) of FCC decision making. Organizational learning theory allows the analyst to consider the role played by experience and expert knowledge in highly technical areas of public policy. Furthermore, organizational learning theory provides an integrative perspective that can explain how institutional arrangements, external political forces, and internal agency dynamics combine to influence regulatory agency policymaking. Finally, because it emphasizes the accumulation of experience and new knowledge over time, organizational learning theory is appropriate in an examination of policy change over the course of several decades.42
The remainder of this study is dedicated to outlining and applying the organizational learning thesis to the case of FCC cable television regulation. Chapter 2 develops the thesis, provides further justification for its application to the case of cable television, and outlines a series of research questions to guide the analysis. In chapters 3–7, in-depth case study evidence is presented to test the propositions outlined in chapter 2. Chapter 8—the concluding chapter—contains an analysis of the research findings, a postscript that briefly outlines important developments in cable regulation after 1980, and some concluding thoughts concerning the value of organizational learning theory for the broader study of regulatory agencies.