Policy change and innovation in multilevel governance / / Arthur Benz.

• Superior document: Policy, Administrative and Institutional Change
• VerfasserIn: Benz, Arthur,
• TeilnehmendeR: Edward Elgar Publishing,
• Place / Publishing House: Northampton : : Edward Elgar Publishing,, 2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Policy, Administrative and Institutional Change Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (196 pages)
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 9781788119177; 9781788119160
• Access: Open Access.
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Arthur Benz.

Multilevel governance divides powers, includes many veto players and requires extensive policy coordination among different jurisdictions. Under these conditions, innovative policies or institutional reforms seem difficult to achieve. However, while multilevel systems establish obstructive barriers to change, they also provide spaces for creative and experimental policies, incentives for learning, and ways to circumvent resistance against change. As the book explains, appropriate patterns of multilevel governance linking diverse policy arenas to a loosely coupled structure are conducive to policy innovation. "Based on theoretical and empirical research, this authoritative book explains why, how and under which conditions innovative policies are achievable in multilevel governance. Taking a forward-thinking approach, the book also addresses implications of the rise of multilevel governance for research and practice. Arthur Benz explores multilevel governance both in relation to and beyond governments' responses to an increasing complexity of public policies. Chapters analyse how political authority is divided and policies have to be coordinated across jurisdictional boundaries. Utilizing case studies on energy and climate policy in transnational, national and local contexts and on fiscal equalization in federations, Benz illuminates the interplay of policy change and institutional change, as well as the particular conditions that enable or constrain these mechanisms. The book concludes that complexity in multilevel systems of governance does not rule out policy innovation, but rather it establishes both favourable and constraining conditions for significant change. Providing an overview of theories of multilevel governance, this book will be critical reading for scholars and advanced students of political science and public administration. It will also be beneficial for policymakers interested in complex governance"--