Table 1.

The three layers of power in policy-making

Type of power	Focus	Policy concept
Relational (transitive and intransitive)	Achievement of policy outcomes by agents’ interaction	Policy innovation
Dispositional	Positioning of agents in arrangements mediated by rules and resources	Policy arrangements
Structural	Structuring of arrangements mediated by orders of signification, domination and legitimization	Political modernization

Source: Arts B, Van Tatenhove J. Policy and power: A conceptual framework between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ policy idioms. Policy Sciences 2004;37 (3–4):339–356