Final Answer:
A growing participatory force in bureaucratic decision-making whose members' interest in issues is intellectual or emotional rather than material. The correct option for the given description of issue networks is (a).
Step-by-step explanation:
Issue Networks Description:
(a) The description aligns with the concept of issue networks. Issue networks are informal, diverse groups of individuals and organizations that come together based on their shared intellectual or emotional interest in specific policy issues. Unlike traditional interest groups driven by material concerns, issue networks focus on the intellectual or emotional aspects of policy problems.
Contrast with Other Options:
(b) Standard operating procedures are formalized, routine processes within bureaucracies and do not capture the participatory and issue-driven nature of issue networks.
(c) Shared regulatory power between agencies describes collaborative regulatory efforts rather than the participatory nature of issue networks.
(d) Shared regulatory power among agencies due to a policy affecting multiple bodies is a characteristic of collaborative governance but not exclusive to issue networks.
(e) Iron triangles involve close relationships between interest groups, government agencies, and legislative committees, emphasizing material interests, which contrasts with the intellectual or emotional focus of issue networks.