Nástroje a opatření ve veřejné politice

The article provides a critical review of the literature on policy instruments and introduces the topic into the context of the Czech Republic. In the first part, the critical review of the history of policy instruments literature is provided. Then various definitions and dimensions of instruments are discussed. The main part, and original contribution of the paper is provided in further parts in which: 1) two different perspectives (labeled as objectivist versus constructivist) are defined and explained assumptions upon which they are based; 2) different levels of instruments are discerned. The article concludes with a critical summary of problems in the current literature on policy instruments and recommendations for further theoretical and empirical research.