Having considered the portfolio of resources at the disposal of the identified actors of a public policy and the ‘resource-based’ definition, it is time to move on to the actual in-depth analysis of these key resources that can be observed at work in the actor games. The criteria for the selection of the seven analytical dimensions proposed here are based on the aim of providing an empirical explanation of the essential aspects of the exchange of resources between the actors under consideration, in accordance with the approach applied here as the very essence of the power games at work in the implementation of public policies in particular. These aspects are the specific uses of the services in question provided by the different resources, the actors’ rights of use, the modalities of production, acquisition and maintenance of these resources, their modalities of use or threatened use, and the substitutability and exchangeability of rights of use to the resources. Following a short section on the actors’ strategic objectives, the proposed analysis demonstrates, in particular, the link between resources, actors and institutional rules already mentioned in Part I of this book. In this chapter this link is explored further from the perspective of the policy analyst and manager.

Strategic objectives of the actors

Let us recall here that the primary objective of resource mobilization is always to influence the decisions taken by political-administrative actors (in the context of public policy implementation: action plan and output). However, this objective is ultimately only attained if the target groups have actually changed their behaviour (in particular, changed modalities of use: Property) and the beneficiary groups have accepted the solution (degree of acceptance of the decision of the other two actors: Consensus). The ultimate aim of the mobilization of these resources will consist, therefore, in political-administrative decisions that apply to the behaviour of their addressees (target groups) and in the renunciation of various means of opposition (beneficiary groups).

In general, the strategic objectives that guide the mobilization of resources for the three actor groups, particularly on the level of implementation, are:

• • Political-administrative actors: production of decisions that will result in real changes in behaviour instigated by target groups without encountering excessive opposition on the part of beneficiary groups.