Approaching Policy Conflicts and Crises in Policy Process Research

Policymaking today is shaped by conflicts and crises that influence public policy directly or indirectly. Understanding and explaining the roots and consequences of public policy is central to our society. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic had a lasting impact, not only because of the immediate policy responses that had consequences for inequality, economy, and public health, but also because it provided an external shock and potential policy window for policy change across policy sectors. War, climate change, and yet-unknown crises and related conflicts affect national governments differently, and their perception by the public and by policy actors diverges. The latter in particular adopt and implement policies as reactions to such crises and conflicts or are influenced by them in their daily routines. This Section stimulates critical and ongoing dialogue, demonstrated during previous ECPR Sections. It brings together scholars who work with various policy process frameworks (ACF, IADF, MSF, NPF, and PAF) to present and reflect on cutting-edge research on their frameworks. In addition to these framework Panels, the Section includes three Panels on cross-cutting themes that touch upon various frameworks. It therefore invites senior and junior scholars from Europe and around the globe to contribute Papers with diverse theoretical and methodological orientations in sub-national, national, international, or comparative settings. The Section ▪️ provides a networking opportunity for scholars from different generations and countries who share common interests in policy process research. ▪️ assesses and develops theoretical, empirical, and methodological knowledge concerning policy change within policy process frameworks and with reference to cross-cutting themes. Proposed Panels Addressing Policy Conflicts in Policy Process Chair: Tanya Heikkila (University of Colorado Denver) Discussant: Mirna Jusić (Charles University) Policy conflicts concerning energy transition, climate change, immigration and so on represent important elements of the policy process, and pose challenges for our societies. This Panel seeks Papers addressing policy conflicts as a specific concept within the policy process, or conceptualizing them within policy process frameworks. Analyzing complex policy issues through the Networks of Adjacent Action Situations Chairs: Nora Schütze (University of Kassel), Christian Kimmich (Institute for Advanced Studies) Discussants: Andreas Thiel (University of Kassel), Melf-Hinrich Ehlers (Agroscope) This Panel invites Papers applying the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework to complex policy settings using the Networks of Adjacent Action Situations. Panel Chairs welcome Papers addressing related methodological (e.g., identifying AS and their boundaries) and conceptual questions (e.g., on power or polycentricity). Bridging the Gap Between Theories of Policy Process and Crisis Management Chairs: Giliberto Capano & Federico Toth (University of Bologna) Although the concept of crisis is crucial in policy studies, the recent pandemic has shown how policy process research needs to move forward to fully understand the antecedents, dynamics, outputs, outcomes, and type of responses to transboundary and unexpected crises. This Panel invites Papers which strengthen the added value of theories of policy research in crisis management and practice. Comparing Advocacy Coalitions Chairs: Tuomas Ylä-Anttila (University of Helsinki), Chris Weible (University of Colorado Denver) Discussant: Antti Gronow (University of Helsinki) The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) has been used to study the formation of and interaction between coalitions, as well as policy learning and policy change in a variety of country contexts and policy domains. Many of these studies, however, focus on one policy domain in one country context. This Panel invites Papers that compare policy processes across countries, policy subsystems or points in time. Theoretical dialogue between the ACF and other policy process frameworks is also encouraged. Multiple Streams Framework Chairs: Reimut Zohlnhöfer (University of Heidelberg), Evangelia Petridou (Mid Sweden University) Discussant: Nikolaos Zahariadis (Rhodes College) The Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) has developed impressively over the last decade. This Panel invites Papers that either develop the MSF or any of its elements further conceptually or empirically and/or applies the framework empirically to new cases or quantitatively. Policy Integration, Policy Design, and Implementation in Crises Chairs: Philipp Trein (University of Lausanne), Johanna Hornung (University of Bern) Policy responses to crises often require coordination and integration, and making sure that policy measures are adequately integrated. This Panel invites Papers analysing research questions around policy integration, policy design, and implementation in crisis situations. Policy Narratives in Crises and Conflicts Chairs: Johanna Kuenzler (University of Speyer), Caroline Schlaufer (University of Bern) This Panel invites Papers that use the Narrative Policy Framework and other innovative approaches to narrative analysis to investigate policymaking in the context of crises and conflicts. Panel Chairs also welcome theoretical contributions. Programmatic Action and Social Identities Chairs: Colette Vogeler (University of Speyer), Annemieke van den Dool (Duke Kunshan University) Discussant: Patrick Hassenteufel (UVSQ) The Programmatic Action Framework (PAF) studies programmatic groups, policy programs, and the specific type of programmatic identities within policy processes. This Panel invites contributions that theoretically or empirically approach social groups and identities across all stages of the policy cycle. Roundtable: Methodological Opportunities and Constraints in Policy Process Research Chairs: Vilém Novotny (Charles University Prague), Johanna Hornung (University of Bern), Johanna Kuenzler (University of Speyer) A key aspect in policy process research is how to empirically test and analyse the mechanisms proposed by theories and frameworks. In this Roundtable, we discuss diverse methodological approaches and their opportunities and challenges in empirical public policy research. Roundtable: Teaching the Policy Process Chairs: Vilém Novotny (Charles University Prague), Allegra Fullerton (University of Colorado Denver) Teaching the policy process is among the core activities of policy-related curricula. For the policy process research community, it is important to share experiences in the policy community, disseminate innovations, and form common understanding on how to teach the policy process.