LIST OF WORKSHOPS

This workshop aims to deepen the theoretical and empirical understanding of the capacities required to design, implement, and transform public policies under conditions of complexity. Rooted in Latin American perspectives yet in dialogue with global debates, it seeks to examine how policy capacity and capacity building interact at individual, organizational, and systemic levels to enable innovation, legitimacy, and resilience in public action.
The concept of policy capacity has been defined as the ability to mobilize resources to make collective choices and allocate them strategically to public ends (Painter & Pierre, 2005). Distinct from administrative capacity and state capacity, policy capacity operates at their intersection, linking decision-making, efficiency, and legitimacy. The concept has been widely adopted across diverse fields of public administration, governance, and policy design (Mukherjee et al., 2021; Peters, 2015; Capano & Elias, 2025; da Cunha et al., 2023).
However, its conceptualization varies considerably. Cameron and Evans (2024, p. 2) illustrate this ambiguity by noting that a simple Google Scholar search for “policy capacity” yields more than 17,000 results, reflecting a broader challenge in the literature: the lack of consensus on how to operationalize and measure policy capacity (Wu, Ramesh & Howlett, 2015). Definitions range from functional assets for decision-making and resource allocation (Painter & Pierre, 2005) to frameworks that disaggregate its key components and interactions, distinguishing analytical, operational, and political capacities across three levels of analysis (Wu, Ramesh & Howlett, 2015, 2018). Other authors emphasize its role as a collection of skills and resources, or competences and capabilities, necessary for performing policy functions (Gleeson et al., 2009, 2011), or focus on institutional arrangements and governance legitimacy (Cameron & Evans, 2024). More dynamic perspectives conceptualize policy capacity as a process shaped by governance supply and demand, integrating administrative capital, political management, and stakeholder expectations (Brenton et al., 2023). Complementary approaches, such as place-based policy (Neumark et al., 2014; Lu et al, 2019; Giest, 2023), have emphasized spatially targeted policies designed to support transformational development and address long-term societal challenges.
Recent contributions have advanced a more holistic understanding of policy capacity by expanding the Policy Capacity Framework (PCF) through two additional dimensions: deontological capacity, referring to ethical commitment, integrity, and democratic values; and human capacity, encompassing empathy, relational skills, and intercultural understanding (Muñoz-del-Campo, 2023, 2025). This perspective underline that public action requires not only technical competences but also the ability to build trust, foster dialogue across diversity, and sustain legitimacy in turbulent contexts.
Even though policy capacity is widely recognized as a key determinant of policy success, influencing both decision-making and implementation (Wu et al., 2018a, 2018c), surprisingly little attention has been paid to its connection with education and training (Pal & Clark, 2016; Cameron, 2022). This gap underscores the need to build a bridge between policy capacity and capacity building.
Capacity building has emerged as a broader concept encompassing professional training, postgraduate education, institutional programs, and initiatives led by both state and non-state actors (Coghil et al 2009). In Latin America, however, systematic research on how capacity building shapes policy capacity remains limited, despite its crucial role in strengthening public sectors marked by inequality, institutional fragility, and strong transnational influences (Dezalay & Garth, 2002). Addressing this gap requires identifying not only what capacities exist, but also how they are cultivated, combined, and applied to foster innovation and adaptive governance.
This perspective contributes to broadening the definition of policy capacity beyond technical or functional aspects. It also aligns with Wu et al.’s (2018, p. 3) observation of a persistent gap in the literature between “what can be done with policy capacity” and “what constitutes policy capacity, or how existing and potential resources and skills can be combined to augment it.” Understanding these distinctions is key to strengthening policy capacity in public administration—particularly in Latin America, where institutional resilience and the effectiveness of public policy remain pressing challenges.
 
The workshop addresses the following research questions:
·      How should policy capacity and capacity building be defined, measured, and operationalized in contemporary contexts, particularly in Latin America?
·      What combinations of capacities are most relevant for innovation and resilience in public action under conditions of turbulence and polycrisis?
·      How are capacities distributed and articulated across individual, organizational, and systemic levels, and what tensions emerge in their interaction?
·      To what extent do capacity-building programs (e.g., postgraduate programs, civil service training, non-state initiatives) contribute to strengthening policy capacity in practice?
·      How do sectoral challenges—such as education, climate change, or digital governance/AI—demand different configurations of capacities?
·      What comparative insights can be drawn from studying capacity development across countries and regions, and how can Latin American experiences inform global debates?
 
The scientific relevance of this workshop lies in three key dimensions:
Theoretical contribution: By integrating policy capacity and capacity building, the workshop seeks to refine and expand conceptual frameworks for studying public action. It moves beyond functionalist accounts by including ethical, human, affective, and relational dimensions of capacity, thereby addressing the limitations of the existing PCF and contributing to its expansion.
Empirical contribution: The workshop focuses on Latin America—a region where policy capacity and capacity-building initiatives face unique challenges due to inequality, institutional fragility, and transnational pressures. Yet it is also a fertile ground for innovation and experimentation. By mapping and analyzing capacity-building practices, the workshop aims to generate data that are both regionally grounded and globally relevant.
Practical contribution: Understanding capacities is not only an academic exercise but a prerequisite for strengthening governance and democracy. By examining what competences are required both to “do things right” and to “do the right things” (Geva-May et al., 2008), the workshop contributes to identifying actionable strategies for professional training, institutional reform, and cross-sector collaboration.
Expected Outcomes: The workshop will provide a platform for scholars to share conceptual and empirical research, foster comparative analysis, and advance collective outputs—such as a special issue or an edited volume—that strengthen the bridge between policy capacity and capacity building, advancing a dialogue between Latin American experiences and global scholarship.

Brenton, S., Baekkeskov, E., and Hannah, A. (2023). Policy capacity: evolving theory and missing links, Policy Studies, 44(3): 297-315.
Cameron, B. T., Evans, B. (2024) Policy capacity research: An overview and bibliography of the international literature, 1978 to 2023, International Review of Public Policy, 6(1): 110-141. 
Capano, G., De Oliveira, V. E. (2025). Do policy capacities matter for federal policy design? Evidence from the implementation of three social policies in Brazil. Public Administration and Development
Coghill, K., Donohue, R., Holland, P., Richardson, A. & Neesham, C. (2009) Capacity Building for New Parliamentarians: Survey of Orientation and Induction Programmes, The Journal of Legislative Studies, 15:4, 521-534
Giest, S. (2023, 15 de septiembre). Policy capacity mechanisms for addressing complex, place-based sustainability challenges. OECD-EC High-Level Workshop Series: Place-Based Policies for the Future.
Lu, H., & Liu, M.,  Song, W. (2022). Place-based policies, government intervention, and regional innovation: Evidence from China's Resource-Exhausted City program. Resources Policy, 75(C).
Mukherjee, I., Coban, M.K. & Bali, A.S. Policy capacities and effective policy design: a review. Policy Sciences 54, 243–268 (2021).
Munoz-del-Campo, N. (2023) ‘Comparative Analysis of Latin American MPP and MPA Program Competences and Capabilities Using the Policy Capacity Framework: Discovering Deontological and Human Capacities’. Presented at the International Conference of Public Policy, International Public Policy Association (IPPA), Toronto, Canada.
Munoz-del-Campo, N. (2025). A conceptual framework for understanding parliamentary skills and competences: bridging public policy and legislative studies. Parliamentary Affairs.
Neumark, D., Simpson, H. (2014) Place-Based Policies. NBER Working Paper No. w20049.
Painter, M., and Pierre, J. (2005). Challenges to State Policy Capacity: Global Trends and Comparative Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.
Wu X, Ramesh M and Howlett M (2015) Policy capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding policy competences and capabilities. Policy and Society, 34(3-4): 165-171.
Wu X, Howlett M and Ramesh M (Eds.) (2018). Policy Capacity and Governance. Assessing Governmental Competences and Capabilities in Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan

We invite paper proposals for a workshop that will explore the capacities required to design, implement, and transform public policies in contexts of complexity and turbulence. The workshop is organized by the Study Group on Policy Capacity and Capacity Building (RELAPP–IPPA). This workshop focuses on the intersection between two key concepts: policy capacity and capacity building, understood as training, education, and institutional development for both state and non-state actors. It aims to bridge conceptual debates and empirical research on how capacities are developed, measured, and mobilized in public action.
We particularly seek to identify the missing links between policy design, implementation, and learning, and to foster dialogues between Global North and Global South perspectives on what constitutes and strengthens public action capacities.
We welcome contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
·      Clarifying conceptual and empirical boundaries of policy capacity and capacity building in Latin America.
·      Identifying capacities for action in contexts of uncertainty, interdependence, and polycrisis.
·      Exploring how capacities operate across levels of governance (local, national, and international) and within specific policy domains.
·      Examining how capacities enable or constrain policy innovation and change.
·      Sectoral case studies (e.g., education, climate change, digital governance/AI).
·      Comparative analyses across countries, regions, and institutional contexts.
·      The role of PPA programs, civil service training, and non-state initiatives in capacity development.
 
We especially encourage submissions that bring Latin American perspectives into dialogue with global debates, as well as comparative studies connecting the region to other contexts. Selected papers will contribute to collective outputs such as an edited volume or special issue.
Paper proposals (maximum 500 words) should be submitted through the IWPP platform. We welcome contributions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

This workshop explores the capacities required to design, implement, and transform public policies under conditions of complexity and turbulence. Fostering dialogue between the concepts of policy capacity and capacity building, it brings together scholars to examine how competences are defined, measured, and mobilized in practice, with a particular focus on Latin America.
Policy capacity has been widely recognized as a determinant of policy success, yet its definition and measurement remain contested. The Policy Capacity Framework (PCF) (Wu, Ramesh & Howlett, 2015, 2018) distinguishes analytical, operational, and political capacities across individual, organizational, and systemic levels. Recent contributions have expanded this framework by introducing deontological and human capacities, highlighting ethical commitment, relational skills, and trust-building as essential for legitimate and innovative public action (Muñoz-del-Campo, 2023, 2025).
In parallel, capacity building encompasses education, training, and institutional development for both state and non-state actors, as well as place-based approaches to collective learning and institutional strengthening (Neumark, 2014; Lu, 2019). Despite its relevance, systematic research linking capacity building to policy capacity remains limited—particularly in Latin America.
The workshop addresses three central questions: What capacities matter most for public action in turbulent times? How are these capacities cultivated through training, education, and practice? And how do they enable or constrain innovation and institutional transformation? By combining conceptual analysis with empirical research, the workshop aims to identify capacity gaps, map comparative experiences, and contribute to building more reflective, inclusive, and socially committed forms of public action.
Participants will engage in in-depth discussions of their work, fostering North–South dialogues and cross-regional comparisons. Selected contributions will form the basis for collective outputs such as an edited volume or special issue.

Norma Munoz-del-Campo
Full Professor at the Management and Public Policies Department, Faculty of Administration and Economics, University of Santiago, Chile (USACH). She engages in pedagogical innovation, research, and public outreach in the field of public policy. Her research has two main components: first, the analysis of public policies to identify the factors that drive policy change, with particular attention to institutional reforms in Chile and Latin America since the democratic transition. This work combines neo-institutionalist and cognitive approaches, mainly in the areas of cultural and environmental policy. Second, her research examines the teaching of public policy and the development of competences and skills among policymakers, civil servants, policy analysts, and public managers. She currently leads several pedagogical innovation projects and has held visiting fellowships at Sciences Po Paris (Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics, 2022), the Center for International Studies (CERI, 2016), and the Centre d’Études et de Recherches de Science Administrative et Politiques (CERSA, Paris II Assas, 2017). Her publications include works with Routledge, Edward Elgar, and Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and articles in Latin American Policy, Cahiers des Amériques Latines, Teaching Public Administration, and Estado, Gobierno y Gestión Pública.
 
Oliver Meza
Dr. Meza is a Mexican scholar specializing in public administration and public policy, and a Level 2 member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Public Policy Association, and Vice president until 2027. In 2020, Dr. Meza received the Research Award for individuals under 40 granted by the Mexican Academy of Sciences. Dr. Meza currently serves as Full Professor and Researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Government at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Guadalajara campus. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), where he also contributed as a faculty member in the Public Administration Division. His research focuses on topics such as metropolitan governance, public policy coherence, and the impact of corruption on policymaking processes in local governments. Dr. Meza Canales has published numerous articles in prestigious national and international academic journals. His most recent book, Structure of Systemic Corruption (2024), adds to an already extensive list of published works.
 
Alvaro Artigas
Dr. Álvaro Artigas is a research associate of Sciences Po Paris, at the Centre d’Etudes Européennes et de Politique Comparée as well as faculty of the Paris School of International Affairs PSIA. He is a member of Sciences Po’s urban research programme “Cities are Back in Town”. Currently affiliated with the Institute of Environmental Studies at the NUS LKY School of Public Policy, his research lies at the crossroads of public policy and political economy. He has extensive international research experience on environmental issues related to water, energy governance and is currently a member of the CAPinGHG consortium between SciencesPo’s LIEPP and NUS LKY Singapore and one of the beneficiaries of the MERLION grant together with NERI. He was a visiting fellow at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung in Berlin and at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo and a visiting fellow at the Universiti Malaya, the BRICS Policy Center of Rio de Janeiro and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals at the U. Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona? His most recent work questions the governance of low-carbon economy transitions (GHG inventories, UHI), interrogating the concept of complexity and innovation from an inter-regional comparative perspective (Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America). His work as a board member of the Digital Chair of the Urban School of Sciences Po Paris and the UPF of Barcelona has focused on the complex interactions of technological platforms with regional and metropolitan infrastructure development programs and their specific environmental and territorial consequences in the governance of cities.
 
Everardo Chiapa-Aguillón
Dr. Chiapa holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy from the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), and a B.A. in Economics from the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH). He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels in academic programs in Political Science and Public Administration, Economics, and Public Policy. He has taken part in research projects at CIDE, the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), and El Colegio del Estado de Hidalgo. He is a member of the International Public Policy Association and the Research Network on Mexican Local Governments. In 2018, he won first place in the National Urban Transport and Mobility Award (Mexico). His areas of specialization include public policy, metropolization, participation, mobility and transport, public–private partnerships, organized civil society, evaluation, and local governments. He also works as an independent consultant on evaluation, civil society organizations, and sustainable development. He currently teaches at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Hidalgo Campus, and at UAEH. He currently holds the distinction of National Researcher Level I from the National System of Researchers (SNII).