Equal Inputs, Unequal Outputs: How Capacity Limits Policy Implementation
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| Title: | Equal Inputs, Unequal Outputs: How Capacity Limits Policy Implementation |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Amanda Lu (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 2026 48(1):189-213. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R305B140009 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Policy, Program Implementation, Higher Education, Dual Enrollment, Grants, Federal Aid, Equal Education, Barriers, High School Students |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | Pell Grant Program |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737241310832 |
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| Abstract: | As education researchers continue to investigate policies at scale and across diverse contexts, scholars must develop a better understanding of mechanisms shaping policy effects. In this study, we use the case of a federal initiative allowing high school students to use the Pell Grant for dual enrollment to investigate how institutions' capacities shaped policy efficacy. We find that colleges' capacities for policy implementation depended on their pre-existing resources ("foundational capacity"), the resources to execute the policy given policy-induced constraints ("execution capacity"), and the resources to provide the target population with access to the policy ("provision capacity"). We contend that institutions that may benefit the most from equitable policies also have the least capacity to implement them. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1496351 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | As education researchers continue to investigate policies at scale and across diverse contexts, scholars must develop a better understanding of mechanisms shaping policy effects. In this study, we use the case of a federal initiative allowing high school students to use the Pell Grant for dual enrollment to investigate how institutions' capacities shaped policy efficacy. We find that colleges' capacities for policy implementation depended on their pre-existing resources ("foundational capacity"), the resources to execute the policy given policy-induced constraints ("execution capacity"), and the resources to provide the target population with access to the policy ("provision capacity"). We contend that institutions that may benefit the most from equitable policies also have the least capacity to implement them. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737241310832 |
