Policy Analysis at the Subnational Level: Old and New Approaches

Abstract

The study of the formulation and implementation of policies has advanced strikingly in the last years. We would like to bring these recent developments to the sub-national level. In this context, policy-makers operate in a tensional environment between (oftentimes) harmonising policies within the federation and using the room for manoeuvre for their own policy solutions including policy innovations. Thus, we welcome a wide range of papers analysing public policies below the national level. This panel brings together scholars studying diverse policy fields at the sub-national level applying old and new approaches of policy analysis. Papers could, on the one hand, employ ‘established’ theories like partisan theory or the different strands of institutionalism. On the other hand, contributions may focus on newer approaches like the ‘Advocacy Coalitions Framework‘ or the ‘Multiple Streams Framework‘. Further perspectives could engage with the drivers of diffusion of policies, policy frames and narratives, and others. We welcome qualitative as well as quantitative empirical studies, papers dealing with methodological issues, and papers that enhance the study of subnational policy from a theoretical perspective.

Title	Details
Child Placement Policies – Subnational Policy Diversity and Development over Time	View Paper Details
Mixed Methods in Comparative Federalism Research: Combining Qualitative Content Analysis and Sentiment Analysis to Investigate Differences in the Media Coverage Across the German ‘Länder’ on Covid-19 Measurements	View Paper Details
The effect of divergences in policy objectives between governance levels in a nascent policy subsystem: Applying the ACF to the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy	View Paper Details
Environmental Politics in Authoritarian Regimes: Waste Management Reform in the Russian Regions	View Paper Details
Transportation Infrastructure Policy in Germany’s Federal System: Drivers and Challenges	View Paper Details