LIST OF PANELS

Comparative policy analysis (CPA) takes into account key structural, institutional and agency-level differences among countries over time in its widely accepted research strategy. This is because interactions among structures (broader material and cultural contexts within which institutions and actors are embedded), institutions (formal and informal rules that inform the actions of actors), and actors (individuals, organizations and/or collective entities) inform CPA. Yet CPA scholars rarely acknowledge, much less explore, such interactions among these interdependent factors. In common parlance, the terms ‘structure’, ‘institution’ and ‘organization’ are often combined and/or conflated. Notwithstanding, it is important to distinguish between them for academic purposes in order to analyze their relationship, interactions and influence. To do so, it is crucial to go beyond ‘context matters’ and to explore some of the interrelated dynamics informing CPA. This is exactly what the panel aims to do. This panel calls for original contributions that shed light on how, where, when and why structural, institutional and agency-level factors inform policy analysis.

The goals of this Panel are threefold: (1) to encourage empirical and theoretical interest in the structural, institutional and agency-level factors that inform CPA comparative perspectives, focusing on different levels of analysis, and applying different research methodologies; (2) to build richly contextualized, interdisciplinary and comparative conceptual or theoretical foundations for analysis and research; and (3) to stimulate further comparative empirical policy research that uses original data and focuses on, for example, comparative analysis of countries or cases in the policy domains. This involves examination of the impact of structural, institutional and agency-related factors affecting policy analysis at the national, the supranational, regional, or actor levels of analysis.

Given the limited attention paid to the individual and joint effects of structures, institutions and actors on policy analysis, this call for papers is purposefully broad. What is critical is to build bridges between the public policy and institutional scholarship, by using CPA in order to help develop new empirical and/or theoretical insights.

See General Objectives