A configurational perspective on the EU Green Deal: an IAD application

On December 11, 2019, President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the European Green Deal, a comprehensive initiative addressing climate and environmental challenges. The European Commission's subsequent Communication outlined key strategies, including the Farm-to-Fork strategy, Biodiversity strategy, Climate Law proposal, and Circular Economy action plan. The success of these strategies in fostering sustainable food systems across the European Union hinges on effective structuring and implementation decisions. This paper employs the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, specifically the rule-based typology by Sue Crawford and Elinor Ostrom, to scrutinize the institutional dynamics of the European Green Deal, Farm-to-Fork, and Biodiversity strategy. Within the IAD framework, institutions are considered rules shaping action-situations—the social contexts where interactions occur and actions unfold. Utilizing a configurational approach, the analysis examines how these European strategies create nested action-situations, elucidating variations in rule types, and mapping the intricate structures and relationships among them. This study contributes to the panel on Addressing Innovations in Public Policy Through the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework by providing insights into the institutional aspects governing the implementation of transformative environmental strategies at the European level.