Résumé
Through the study of public programs for water quality restoration in Cotes-d'Armor (France), the author underlines that despite the introduction of new environmental objectives within the regional agricultural policy, continuity prevails over dynamics of change. This continuity can be explained through the mobilization of an analysis focusing on the policy instruments that implement these new objectives. The analysis shows the extent to which these instruments obey pre-conceived ideological frames of reference, therefore confirming the sociological neo-institutionalist approach. The article nevertheless highlights the emancipation of these instruments, along the way. It concludes on the necessity of considering an "instrument dependency" phenomenon rather than a "path dependency" one. Adapted from the source document.