IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/policy/v56y2023i1d10.1007_s11077-022-09489-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Empirical research on policy integration: a review and new directions

Author

Listed:
  • Philipp Trein

    (University of Lausanne)

  • Manuel Fischer

    (EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology))

  • Martino Maggetti

    (University of Lausanne)

  • Francesco Sarti

    (University of Lausanne)

Abstract

Research on policy integration has become an important part of public policy scholarship by analyzing how policymakers create linkages between policy subsystems to deal with complex policy problems. To develop this research program further, it is crucial to know how policy integration relates to broader theoretical and methodological developments in the field of public policy studies. This article reviews the empirical literature on policy integration in the last 10 years focusing on concepts, theories, research design, and methods, drawing upon a sample of 413 articles. Results show no systematic patterns in how these four dimensions combine in policy integration research. Above all, stages and theories of the policy process appear to be incorporated in policy integration studies only to a very limited extent. These findings point to four new directions for policy integration research: (1) Striking a balance between conceptual richness and consolidation regarding “policy integration”; (2) An increased focus on the evaluation of integrated policies; (3) More attention to actor-oriented and explanatory theories; (4) The potential for combining qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp Trein & Manuel Fischer & Martino Maggetti & Francesco Sarti, 2023. "Empirical research on policy integration: a review and new directions," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 29-48, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:56:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s11077-022-09489-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-022-09489-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11077-022-09489-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11077-022-09489-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Philipp Trein, 2023. "Pathways to policy integration: a subsystem approach," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 9-27, March.
    2. Reinhard Steurer & Christoph Clar, 2015. "Is decentralisation always good for climate change mitigation? How federalism has complicated the greening of building policies in Austria," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(1), pages 85-107, March.
    3. Kristin Floress & Adam Baumgart-Getz & Linda Stalker Prokopy & Jessica Janota, 2009. "The quality of greenways planning in northwest Indiana: a focus on sustainability principles," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(1), pages 61-78.
    4. Theofanis Exadaktylos & Claudio M. Radaelli, 2009. "Research Design in European Studies: The Case of Europeanization," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 507-530, June.
    5. Jale Tosun & Achim Lang, 2017. "Policy integration: mapping the different concepts," Policy Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(6), pages 553-570, November.
    6. Joanna Vince, 2015. "Integrated policy approaches and policy failure: the case of Australia’s Oceans Policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(2), pages 159-180, June.
    7. Bolognesi, Thomas & Nahrath, Stephane, 2020. "Environmental Governance Dynamics: Some Micro Foundations of Macro Failures," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    8. Ryu Koide & Lewis Akenji, 2017. "Assessment of Policy Integration of Sustainable Consumption and Production into National Policies," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-21, September.
    9. Frédéric Varone & Stéphane Nahrath & David Aubin & Jean-David Gerber, 2013. "Functional regulatory spaces," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 46(4), pages 311-333, December.
    10. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Cynthia L. Michel, 2021. "Instruments for Policy Integration: How Policy Mixes Work Together," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    11. Duncan Russel & Sergio Castellari & Alessio Capriolo & Suraje Dessai & Mikael Hildén & Anne Jensen & Eleni Karali & Kirsi Mäkinen & Helle Ørsted Nielsen & Sabine Weiland & Roos den Uyl & Jenny Tröltzs, 2020. "Policy Coordination for National Climate Change Adaptation in Europe: All Process, but Little Power," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Ueli Reber & Manuel Fischer & Karin Ingold & Felix Kienast & Anna M. Hersperger & Rolf Grütter & Robin Benz, 2022. "Integrating biodiversity: a longitudinal and cross-sectoral analysis of Swiss politics," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(2), pages 311-335, June.
    13. Underdal, Arild, 1980. "Integrated marine policy : What? Why? How?," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 159-169, July.
    14. Michael Howlett & Joanna Vince & Pablo del Río, 2017. "Policy Integration and Multi-Level Governance: Dealing with the Vertical Dimension of Policy Mix Designs," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 69-78.
    15. Karoliina Isoaho & Fanni Moilanen & Arho Toikka, 2019. "A Big Data View of the European Energy Union: Shifting from ‘a Floating Signifier’ to an Active Driver of Decarbonisation?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 28-44.
    16. Cairney,Paul & Heikkila,Tanya & Wood,Matthew, 2019. "Making Policy in a Complex World," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108729109.
    17. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Cynthia L. Michel, 2017. "Addressing fragmented government action: coordination, coherence, and integration," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 50(4), pages 745-767, December.
    18. Marijn T. Geet & Stefan Verweij & Tim Busscher & Jos Arts, 2021. "The importance of policy design fit for effectiveness: a qualitative comparative analysis of policy integration in regional transport planning," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 54(3), pages 629-662, September.
    19. Gerber, Jean-David & Knoepfel, Peter & Nahrath, Stéphane & Varone, Frédéric, 2009. "Institutional Resource Regimes: Towards sustainability through the combination of property-rights theory and policy analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 798-809, January.
    20. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:47:y:2009:i::p:507-530 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Philipp Trein, 2023. "Policy integration as a political process," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 3-8, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sébastien Lambelet, 2023. "Unintended policy integration through entrepreneurship at the implementation stage," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 161-189, March.
    2. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Philipp Trein, 2023. "Pathways to policy integration: a subsystem approach," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 9-27, March.
    3. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Cynthia L. Michel, 2023. "Implementing policy integration: policy regimes for care policy in Chile and Uruguay," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(4), pages 733-753, December.
    4. Robbert Biesbroek & Jeroen J. L. Candel, 2020. "Mechanisms for policy (dis)integration: explaining food policy and climate change adaptation policy in the Netherlands," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(1), pages 61-84, March.
    5. Guillermo M. Cejudo & Philipp Trein, 2023. "Policy integration as a political process," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 3-8, March.
    6. Thomas Bolognesi & Florence Metz & Stéphane Nahrath, 2021. "Institutional complexity traps in policy integration processes: a long-term perspective on Swiss flood risk management," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 54(4), pages 911-941, December.
    7. Ueli Reber & Manuel Fischer & Karin Ingold & Felix Kienast & Anna M. Hersperger & Rolf Grütter & Robin Benz, 2022. "Integrating biodiversity: a longitudinal and cross-sectoral analysis of Swiss politics," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(2), pages 311-335, June.
    8. Israel Solorio & Jorge Guzmán & Ixchel Guzmán, 2023. "Participatory decision-making in the policy integration process: indigenous consultation and sustainable development in Mexico," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 115-140, March.
    9. Martin Ferry, 2021. "Pulling things together: regional policy coordination approaches and drivers in Europe [‘PiS wchodzi w buty marszałków. Cel? Miliony z funduszy europejskich’]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 40(1), pages 37-57.
    10. Thomas Bolognesi & Andrea K. Gerlak & Gregory Giuliani, 2018. "Explaining and Measuring Social-Ecological Pathways: The Case of Global Changes and Water Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, November.
    11. Martino Maggetti & Philipp Trein, 2021. "More is less: Partisan ideology, changes of government, and policy integration reforms in the UK [“Neglected Challenges to Evidence-Based Policy-Making: The Problem of Policy Accumulation.”]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 40(1), pages 79-98.
    12. Ueli Reber & Karin Ingold & Manuel Fischer, 2023. "The role of actors' issue and sector specialization for policy integration in the parliamentary arena: an analysis of Swiss biodiversity policy using text as data," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 95-114, March.
    13. Simone Ruane & Mohammad Shahidul Hasan Swapan & Courtney Babb, 2020. "Disaster Risk Reduction in Bushfire Prone Areas: Challenges for an Integrated Land Use Planning Policy Regime," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Daniel Kefeli & Karen M. Siegel & Lucía Pittaluga & Thomas Dietz, 2023. "Environmental policy integration in a newly established natural resource-based sector: the role of advocacy coalitions and contrasting conceptions of sustainability," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 69-93, March.
    15. Heiner Lüpke & Lucas Leopold & Jale Tosun, 2023. "Institutional coordination arrangements as elements of policy design spaces: insights from climate policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 49-68, March.
    16. Martino Maggetti & Philipp Trein, 2022. "Policy integration, problem-solving, and the coronavirus disease crisis: lessons for policy design [Neglected challenges to evidence-based policy-making: The problem of policy accumulation]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(1), pages 53-67.
    17. Ohmura, Tamaki & Creutzburg, Leonard, 2021. "Guarding the For(es)t: Sustainable economy conflicts and stakeholder preference of policy instruments," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    18. Michael Howlett & Joanna Vince & Pablo del Río, 2017. "Policy Integration and Multi-Level Governance: Dealing with the Vertical Dimension of Policy Mix Designs," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 69-78.
    19. Paul Cisneros, 2023. "How do courts contribute to policy integration? A comparative study of policy integration processes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(3), pages 613-632, September.
    20. Francesco Sarti, 2023. "The policy integration game? Congruence of outputs and implementation in policy integration," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(1), pages 141-160, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:56:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s11077-022-09489-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.