PATHWAYS FOR CHANGE: 10 Theories to Inform Advocacy and Policy Change Efforts

The first Pathways for Change brief originally was published in 2008 in response to growing interest
from evaluators, funders, and advocates to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts. Since that
time, the field of advocacy and policy change evaluation has grown, and theories of change continue to
serve as bedrock for evaluative efforts. Given this context, the time is ripe to expand on the original work.
This updated brief maintains most of the content from the original piece and provides information on four
additional theories. It continues to focus on theories most directly applicable to either understanding
how policy change happens or how specific advocacy tactics play out; this brief does not focus on more
comprehensive social science theories. Additionally, at the time of the original brief, the utility and
application of this work were largely theoretical. This update includes an expanded section on how
evaluators, advocates, and funders can apply these theories to advocacy and policy work.