The concession of ecotourism services in the Colombian national parks - the reality of the policy making process

This study presents a decision-making policy case in Colombia, related to the concession of the ecotourism services in the National Natural Parks in 2004. The study poses the question of why the government ~ook the decision to give in concession the ecotourism services in the parks. The policy-process resulted to be a solution driven-type of policy reform. In the document is explained and analyzed the factors behind that influenced the decision-making. The study highlights how solution-driven policy decisions are highly influenced by the international context and lesson drawing practices, are more likely to happen in a top-down perspective of policy making and are also influenced and shaped by the characteristics of a national context and the political pressures and interests of some society groups. In this sense the policy does not followed a normative and linear approach for policy making but an interactive, showing the reality of policy-making process in which politics plays an important role. Key words: Policy-analysis, decision-making, solution-centric approaches, realism in policy making, planning, politics, ecotourism, environmental polices natural parks, lesson drawing practices and state reforms.