Environmental problems are usually not tackled with path-departing policies but rather with incrementally adjusted or unchanged policies. One way to address incremental change is the policy feedback approach, which initially focussed on self-reinforcing feedback and path-dependency. Today, self-undermining feedback is also increasingly being studied, centring on agency and change. However, it is unclear precisely how actors use power in policy feedback processes. Therefore, this study applied a power perspective and the policy arrangement approach to a case study of the reorientation towards a circular economy in Dutch wastewater policy between 2008 and 2018, which resulted in incremental instead of fundamental policy change. Here it was observed that self-undermining feedback was generated from 2008 onwards but the balance quickly shifted back to self-reinforcing feedback, indicating that the analysed power struggles led to incremental change. These dynamics resemble a shift from the so-called paths and forks (i.e. fork in the road) towards the boomerang pattern (i.e. returning to its original position) of policy change. The patterns are explained by focussing on powerful actors that resist change through the use of incremental reforms, the ongoing struggles of these actors in facilitating self-reinforcing feedback and the role of interpretation in using feedback as a resource. Overall, this study provides a nuanced understanding of incremental change by directing attention to the power struggles of actors in policy feedback processes. For practitioners, the study emphasises the importance of power struggles in enabling a circular economy.

环境问题通常不是通过偏离路径的政策来解决，而是通过逐步调整或不变的政策来解决。解决渐进式变化的一种方法是政策反馈方法，它最初侧重于自我强化反馈和路径依赖。今天，越来越多地研究自我破坏的反馈，重点是能动性和变化。然而，目前还不清楚行为者如何在政策反馈过程中使用权力。因此，本研究将权力视角和政策安排方法应用于 2008 年至 2018 年荷兰废水政策转向循环经济的案例研究，这导致了渐进而非根本性的政策变化。这里观察到自 2008 年开始产生了自我破坏的反馈，但平衡迅速转移回自我强化的反馈，表明分析的权力斗争导致了渐进式变化。这些动态类似于政策变化从所谓的路径和岔路口（即道路岔路口）向回旋镖模式（即返回其原始位置）的转变。通过关注通过使用渐进式改革来抵制变革的强大参与者，这些参与者在促进自我强化反馈方面的持续斗争以及解释在将反馈用作资源方面的作用来解释这些模式。总的来说，这项研究通过将注意力集中在政策反馈过程中行为者的权力斗争上，提供了对渐进式变化的细致入微的理解。对于从业者来说，