LIST OF PANELS

Cochaired by ESAP-Colombia (www.esap.edu.co), GIGAPP Policy Research Network (www.gigapp.org) and FLACSO-México (www.flacso.edu.mx), and with the support of Prof. Juan Guillermo Vieira (U.A. Manizales and ESAP), this panel aims to explore the study of public policy change (PC for short) in Latin America, with special focus to the most important contextual factors that explain it. It also focus on relevance and limits of mainstream theoretical frameworks used to advancing policy change analysis for the region.

So, we consider relevant to advance this debate and to moving forward in consolidating a related research agenda. Some years ago, important efforts have been made to bring the issue into debate. Based on a comparative perspective, Fontaine (2015) and Fontaine et al. (2018) led the publication of two special issues on the topic PC in Latin America. More recently, del Castillo and Dussauge (2020) publish a collective work (in spanish language) about theoretical approaches for public policy, in which PC posits as a central topic.

In moving forward and reacting to those scholars and researchers previous efforts, we consider necessary to advance this debate and follow Velasco’s recommendation (2016) about the need to advance in the definition of a coordinated regional research objectives over this topic, and in defining the rudiments of a more stable research program. This need to be based on systematic case studies analysis and making possible a more focused theoretical dialogue around relevant regional specific topics on policy change.

Research questions are:

- What is the role of context and how it shapes policy stability and change processes in Latin America?

- Which are the specific factors or variables of change to explain specific policy sectorial dynamics, mechanisms, and policy trajectories in the region?

- Which is the applicability, usefulness, limitations and contributions of mainstream policy change theories for Latin American countries?

______________________________

References

- Capano, G. (2009). Understanding Policy Change as an Epistemological and Theoretical Problem. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 11(1), 7–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13876980802648284

- del Castillo, G., & Dussauge, M. (Eds.). (2020). Introducción, en Enfoques teóricos de políticas públicas: Desarrollos contemporáneos para América Latina (1a ed.). FLACSO México.

- Horowitz, D. L. (1989). "Is there a third-world policy process?" Policy Sciences, 22, 197-212.

- Stewart, J. (2006). "Value Conflict and Policy Change." The Review of Policy Research, 23(1), 183-195.

- Torgerson, D. (1985). "Contextual Orientation in Policy Analysis: the contribution of Harold D. Lasswell." Policy Sciences(18), 141-161.

- Velasco, María: Dossier Cambio de políticas en América Latina: ampliando el debate Journal Íconos. (#54, 2016)

Weible, C. M., & Cairney, P. (2020, June 19). Policy change. Paul Cairney: Politics & Public Policy. https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/tag/policy-change/

Journal special issues

- Journal Íconos. (#53, 2015) Dossier "Lessons from Latin America on the rational, cognitive and institutional dimensions of policy change".

- Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice (Vol. 20, issue 2, 2018) Dossier "Policy change in Latin America: A case for comparative theory-building and theory-testing.”

Change is the fundamental focus for those who are interested in studying public policy (Capano, 2009). Policy change (PC for short) is one of the central research problems in policy sciences (Stewart, 2006). Based on different perspectives and focus, several theoretical frameworks have been developed to explain and analyze PC. But what possible answers for advancing theory development can offer us a critical review of approaches and specific review on Latin American country case analyses?

Generally speaking, concern focus about change in theories of public policy involves a basic questioning of the stability/continuity and instability/variability in the dynamics of policies. Several discussions has focused on the factors or variables that generate and explain change. Capano (2009) also mentions that the role of the following key factors has been studied: ideas, interests, institutions, socio-economic structures, political institutions, internationalization, individual entrepreneurship, social culture and values, and so on. Weible and Cairney (2020) synthesizes key factors associated with change: context, events, public opinion, learning, diffusion of ideas, champions and political associations (policy entrepreneur, institutions and others).

These and other factors converge in the dynamics of PC at the general level, but there is still insufficient knowledge about the role and weight these factors have in Latin American countries.

From the above, we call on researchers and experts to submit paper proposals to one of the following sessions:

1. Context and Policy change in Latin America

2. Other relevant factors associated with policy change in Latin America

3. Usefulness and contributions of policy process theories to explain policy change in Latin America

Our panel identifies the context as the initial cornerstone. What is the role of context and how it shapes policy stability and change processes in Latin America? Contexts matter in explaining policy change, as it configures rules, material, and physical limits, favours specific narratives and ideas about what is feasible or desirable. Therefore, we want to propose a first panel session focused exclusively on the role of context. Despite their specific national differences, Latin American countries shares not only common historical and cultural roots. This region also share institutional country limitations, characterized mainly by a) the fragility of their political and economic institutions, b) a weak and non-consolidated civic space, c) a weak rule of law and law enforcement capabilities, that exacerbates d) social exclusion, poverty, an informal economy e) systemic corruption and f) high public insecurity and social inequality levels. Some of those key contextual elements was already highlighted several years ago in advancing the idea of “a third world policy process” (see Horowitz, 1989). In various ways, the universality of this study field (Torgerson, 1985) is still now an unanswered question.

But we do not want to limit the debate to only one general concern focus, we also propose a second session dedicated to discuss in depth case studies focused on analysing specific factors or variables of change such as those mentioned above (and beyond), to explain specific policy sectorial dynamics and policy trajectories in the region.

And finally, in the third session, we want to generate discussion on the applicability, usefulness, and contributions of the dominant theories of public policy change in Latin America, and the possibility of the emergence of our own or combined theories to explain the same phenomenon (focused on decision making processes, causal mechanisms and policy designs). The analysis of Latin American contexts and its particularities is a valuable opportunity to go deeper in a critical review about the full applicability of current mainstream policy change theories (MS, PE, ACF, PFT plus the IAD theories/approaches) and its potential weaknesses. This is because “… there is a need to understand the processes involved in policy-making in relation to the political and institutional contexts from which they arise, and that give also uniqueness to the decision-making processes (del Castillo & Dussauge, 2020).

We will receive theoretical and empirical papers without methodological distinction. Papers must have Latin America as their focus of analysis using theoretical perspectives that contributes to explain or critizes approaches on policy change.