An Analysis of the Agenda-Setting Process of the Performance Assessment Reform Issue: Application and Extension of the Cobb Model in the Digital Public Sphere

Key Points

• The aim is to analyze how the performance assessment reform issue transitions from a social issue to a government policy agenda.
• Integrated Cobb & Elder's stage model with Cobb, Ross, and Ross's type model for analysis.
• Utilized qualitative document analysis on policy documents, social media discourse, citizen petitions, media reports, and teacher union statements.
• Investigated the structural characteristics of the agenda-setting process and actor interactions.
• The issue began with external actors raising concerns, forming public opinion in the digital sphere, and structuring policy through petitions and media.
• The diffusion of public agenda and the government's policy response occurred concurrently, showing overlapping actions of the executive and legislative branches.
• The case expands the Cobb model by demonstrating the acceleration and parallel nature of agenda-setting in a digital environment.

Abstract