Synchronisation in multi-level systems: what it is and why it matters

Democratic multi-level systems possess elaborate temporal constitutions. There are different time rules, time-centred preferences and time constraints across levels of government and administration and across policy domains. But if there are many clocks running in parallel how is the risk of dysfunctional time clashes among actors avoided? This paper sets out to provide a multi-dimensional conceptualisation of synchronisation as a key prerequisite for our ability to address this question. Democratic policymakers in Europe’s multilevel system grapple with the existence of multiple times. Different governments and administrative bodies follow distinct time rules and time preferences. They affect the timing, sequences, frequencies, and duration of their actions; the speed with which they act; and the time horizons they typically adopt. Different policy issues and whole policy domains have distinct temporalities, relating, for example, to the speed with which decisions tend to be made or to typical planning horizons. In multi-level democratic settings, such as the European Union, and in states where subnational governments possess extensive competences, interinstitutional and interorganizational time clashes pose an ever-present threat. Where cooperation requirements across levels and across governments and administrative agencies are high, temporal gridlock in policymaking is very likely. This paper argues that synchronisation, in its varying degrees, is how policymakers in multilevel systems minimize the risk of temporal gridlock. Synchronisation is a multi-actor endeavour, with each actor being specialized or non-specialized, and the relationships between them categorized as either hierarchical or non-hierarchical. Synchronisation also demands a degree of intentionality, i.e., ambition. A degree of commitment to a common goal shared by the actors is also needed, as this affects the degrees of formalisation and coercion present in synchronisation arrangements, and whether these are binding or not.