Empirical research on policy integration: a review and new directions

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.

How does policy coherence shape effectiveness and inequality? Implications for sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda

“…Recognize policy coherence as a political process in which actors seek to advance their own interests. Our findings underscore the need to consider the role of power dynamics, vested interests, and political and economic structures in promoting coherence and shaping its outcomes (Bocquillon, 2018;Brand et al, 2021;Dombrowsky et al, 2022;Nilsson, 2021;Purdon, 2014;Shawoo et al, 2022;Trein et al, 2023). Traditional institutional fixes, such as improved dialogue and coordination, are unlikely to contribute to reducing inequality if policymakers and practitioners fail to account for actors' interests (Ravikumar et al, 2018).…”

“…We define policy incoherence as the absence of such systematic policymaking. Policy coherence is conceptualized in many ways in the literature (Righettini & Lizzi, 2022), including as policy integration (Azizi et al, 2019; Trein et al, 2023), policy coordination (Rasul & Neupane, 2021), policy mixes (Kosow et al, 2022), mainstreaming (Owusu‐Manu et al, 2020), and “whole of government” and “joined up government” approaches (Zeigermann, 2018). Coherence can include both horizontal dimensions (i.e., across sectors or government agencies and departments) and vertical dimensions (i.e., across levels of government).…”

Policy integration as a political process

“…The review article by Trein et al (2023) takes stock of recent progress in the literature and identifies four new directions for empirical research on policy integration. Notably, the authors suggest that future research on policy integration should follow one of the following directions.…”

Policy Perspectives on Values and Intangible Cultural Heritage

“…The need for policy recommendations on values is particularly urgent, for their preservation and dissemination to the wider community, considering that it is the value systems of societies that strengthen cohesion at a national and supranational level. For this reason, it is important to ensure policy coherence across EU directives (Trein et al, 2023). In order to generate policy recommendations through our empirical research, we relied on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis that allows the promotion of policy integration research, in an effort to better understand policy integration and its role in policy making.…”

“…In order to generate policy recommendations through our empirical research, we relied on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis that allows the promotion of policy integration research, in an effort to better understand policy integration and its role in policy making. Policy integration is seen as particularly important in addressing increasingly complex issues facing society (Trein et al, 2023), such as the crisis of values that has multiple implications across a variety of social sectors.…”