The Origins of Enterprise Policy Ideas: The Importance of Think Tanks in the UK policy process

There is no doubt that enterprise policy has become a popular choice for governments to enhance economic growth. However, scholars are not convinced because it has been criticised for its lack of ineffectiveness. The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the ideas and the process in which enterprise policy evolves. This study concentrates on think tanks as a starting point in considering the enterprise policy process because of the importance in understanding the networks in which think tanks provide ideas and assumptions shaping how government tackles economic and social challenges. By drawing on interviews with seven think tanks, the study provides an understanding of how enterprise policy ideas originate, who is involved, what the relationships are between stakeholders and how this affects the overall process of policy-making. The application of institutional theory provides a detailed theoretical understanding of actors and the process in which ideas originate. The study is dominated by the process of ideas themselves, the environment in which think tanks occupy and the actors involved, allowing for an alternative focus on the origins of policy ideas as a possible explanation for the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy.