LIST OF PANELS

Transitions to a more sustainable future require not only technological diffusion and behavioral change but also policy innovation (UNRISD, 2016). Policy innovation has been defined as “the process and/or product of seeking to develop new and/or widely adopted, and/or impactful policies, when existing ones are perceived to be under-performing” (Jordan & Huitema, 2014a). The concept has been associated with three different perspectives in public policy research: policy invention, policy diffusion, and policy success (Jordan & Huitema, 2014b). However, research on policy innovation is beset with numerous issues. First, existing scholarship does not offer a cogent, comprehensive understanding of the notion of policy innovation (Howlett, 2014). Second, the perspectives on policy innovation are often studied in isolation, within limited understanding of whether and how policy invention, policy diffusion, and policy success influence one another (Goyal, 2019). Third, existing scholarship does not systematically consider characteristics associated with complexity, such as polycentricity, policy spill-over, nexus policymaking, technological disruption, trans-nationalization, uncertainty, and wickedness while studying policy innovation (Goyal et al., 2022). As a result, our understanding of policy innovation remains piecemeal.

The aim of this panel is to advance scholarship in order to create academic, yet policy-relevant knowledge on understanding, explaining, and promoting policy innovation, especially in complex settings. We welcome diverse views on policy innovation from different theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives. Research questions that fall within the scope of this panel include – but are not limited to – the following.

1.      What are the different ways in which a public policy can be innovative?

2.      Why are some polities more innovative in policy-making, policy designing, or policy implementation?

3.      How does complexity influence policy innovation?

4.      How do policy invention, policy diffusion, and policy success influence one another?

This panel can contribute to the body of literature on public policy by developing an integrated, systematic understanding of policy innovation, advance scholarship on policy process theories by developing, extending, and/or refining them in the context of sociotechnical systems, and further the synthesis of policy studies with behavioral studies, global studies, and innovation studies.

Policy innovation can be a key driver for transitions to a more sustainable future. Yet, our knowledge of what it means; whether, how, and why polities differ in policy innovativeness; the relationship between complexity – for example, in the form of polycentricity, policy spill-over, nexus policymaking, technological disruption, trans-nationalization, uncertainty, and wickedness – and policy innovation; and the influence of different notions of policy innovation – policy invention, policy diffusion, and policy success – on one another remains limited.

The aim of this panel is to further the research on policy innovation. We invite students, early career researchers, and experienced scholars to submit papers engaging with one of the following research questions, or any other research question on the theme of policy innovation. We are especially interested in submissions that challenge conventional thinking, combine diverse perspectives, or investigate understudied settings in policy sciences/studies. While we welcome both conceptual and empirical research, submitted papers should have high theoretical relevance to the topic of policy innovation.

1. What are the different ways in which a public policy can be innovative?
2. Why are some polities more innovative in policy-making, policy designing, or policy implementation?
3. How does complexity influence policy innovation?
4. How do policy invention, policy diffusion, and policy success influence one another?

Papers may be submitted for offline or online presentation.

References

Goyal, N. (2019). Promoting policy innovation for sustainability: Leaders, laggards and learners in the indian electricity transition. (Ph.D. in Public Policy Doctoral dissertation). National University of Singapore, Retrieved from https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/166349

Goyal, N., Taeihagh, A., & Howlett, M. (2022). Whither policy innovation? Mapping conceptual engagement with public policy in energy transitions research. Energy Research & Social Science, 89, 102632. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102632

Howlett, M. (2014). Why are policy innovations rare and so often negative? Blame avoidance and problem denial in climate change policy-making. Global Environmental Change, 29, 395-403. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.12.009

Jordan, A., & Huitema, D. (2014a). Innovations in climate policy: Conclusions and new directions. Environmental Politics, 23(5), 906-925. doi:10.1080/09644016.2014.924209

Jordan, A., & Huitema, D. (2014b). Policy innovation in a changing climate: Sources, patterns and effects. Global Environmental Change, 29, 387-394. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.09.005

UNRISD. (2016). Policy innovations for transformative change: Implementing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www.unrisd.org/80256B42004CCC77/(httpInfoFiles)/2D9B6E61A43A7E87C125804F003285F5/$file/Flagship2016_FullReport.pdf