What is a "Stream"? Reconciling the Different Visions of McConnell and Kingdon

Most studies in the multiple streams approach adopt the idea of three more or less independent series of events - 'streams' - influencing agenda-policy timing and content: the 'policy', 'problem' and 'politics' streams. This classification and typology has generally not been viewed as problemmatic in and of itself. McConnell's recent work policy success, however, has suggested that events in a 'process' stream are key determinants of overall policy success and failure. This paper examines the origins of Kingdon's three stream model in light of McConnell's work and reflects on the merits of each version while proposing a new model reconciling the two typologies.