Adjusting the Multiple Streams Framework to Latin America: New Modifications and Challenges

ABSTRACT

The Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) has gained increasing traction in Latin America, yet its theoretical development in the region remains limited. Building on Sanjurjo (2020), this chapter incorporates new findings to further assess the framework's capacity to explain agenda‐setting and policy decision‐making within the distinctive political contexts of Latin America, characterized by delegative democracies, weak and dependent states, and profound social inequalities. Our analysis confirms the portability of the MSF while also identifying challenges that suggest the need for theoretical modification. We argue that the political stream must be reformulated to reflect the dominant role of presidential coalitions and powerful interest groups, with public opinion or the “selectorate's mood” relegated to a secondary position. Moreover, the framework struggles to account for informal institutions of corruption, where illicit practices such as bribery, threats, and clientelism enable policy entrepreneurs to bypass traditional windows of opportunity and decision‐making processes. These new findings underscore the importance of refining the MSF and of developing further case studies that adapt the framework more effectively to the realities of Latin American policymaking.