Policy capacities and effective policy design: a review

Area of Science:

• Policy Sciences
• Public Administration
• Comparative Politics

Background:

• Policy design effectiveness is analyzed at three distinct levels: systemic (formulation environments), program (policy tool portfolios), and instrument (specific policy tools).
• Comparative research on government and political actor capacities is crucial for effective policy design and implementation.
• A growing body of knowledge in policy sciences addresses these multi-level concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on capacities that foster policy design effectiveness.
• To synthesize findings on design effectiveness at formulation spaces, policy mixes, and policy programs.
• To propose a future research agenda for policy design studies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of scattered but burgeoning knowledge in policy sciences.
• Analysis of capacities engendering effectiveness at multiple levels of policy design.
• Identification of lessons learned regarding design effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Effective formulation environments (systemic level) are crucial for successful policy design.
• Well-constructed policy tool portfolios (program level) are essential for addressing complex objectives.
• Understanding the effectiveness of specific policy instruments (instrument level) is vital.
• Government and political capacities significantly influence policy design and implementation.

Conclusions:

• Policy design effectiveness is contingent on capacities at systemic, program, and instrument levels.
• Future research should consider the interplay of policy capacity, temporality, and complementarities.
• A nuanced understanding of these dimensions is necessary for advancing policy design studies.