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Applying collective action frameworks to analyse local-level collaboration for electric vehicle-related policies

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by Aaron Deslatte, Michael D Siciliano and Rachel M. Krause

Black and white photos of two men and a woman; the authors of blog. From left to right: Aaron Deslatte, Michael D Siciliano and Rachel M. Krause

In their recent article published in Policy & Politics, Aaron Deslatte, Michael D. Siciliano and Rachel M. Krause offer a new perspective on how local governments manage collaboration when implementing climate-related infrastructure—particularly electric vehicle (EV) policy. Drawing on the Institutional Collective Action (ICA) framework, they argue that successful coordination depends not only on external partnerships between governments, but also on the internal organisation of responsibility across departments within a single authority.

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Policy dismantling and its ripple effects on local policy-making

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by Liliana D. González-Viveros and Verónica López Guerra

Photos of two women; the blog authors; González-Viveros and Verónica López Guerra

Policy dismantling is a growing field in public policy analysis. Scholars approach this topic from different perspectives, such as exploring why it occurs and analysing the strategies used to achieve it. However, the effects of policy dismantling on the policy-making process, particularly in multilevel governance frameworks, remain unclear. In their recent article published in Policy & Politics, Liliana D. González-Viveros and Verónica López Guerra explore what happens when national policies are dismantled—not just in terms of services lost, but in how policy-making itself adapts in response.

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The politics of anger: emotional appraisal and the French pension reform protests

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by Johanna Kuhlmann and Peter Starke

Two portrait photos - one woman, one man - the authors of the article

In their recent article published in Policy & Politics, Johanna Kuhlmann and Peter Starke demonstrate how a focus on emotions helps us to better understand important policy dynamics. Specifically, they examine how anger shaped public responses to the French pension reform of 2019–20. While welfare state reforms are usually explained by institutional or materialist theories, the authors turn to appraisal theory of emotion to explore how the reform process—and the interaction between government, trade unions and citizens—generated one of the largest protest movements in recent French history.

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Preference reversals in asylum policy: how multidimensional incentives reshape elite decision making

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by Asli Unan

A portrait photo of a woman, Asli Unan, the author of the article

In a recent article published in Policy & Politics, Asli Unan investigates how local politicians’ preferences can shift during early-stage policy adoption, particularly in response to multidimensional policy environments. Focusing on the case of asylum dispersal in Greece, the study moves beyond traditional explanations that frame policy reversals as responses to electoral pressure. Instead, it highlights how additional incentives—such as financial compensation or increased local control—can prompt local elites to reverse their initial preferences, even in the absence of voter feedback.

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A systematic review of the Narrative Policy Framework: a future research agenda

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by Johanna Kuenzler, Bettina Stauffer, Caroline Schlaufer, Geoboo Song, Aaron Smith-Walter and Michael D. Jones

6 portrait photos of the authors of this article

The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) has become instrumental in understanding how policy narratives impact public policy processes.  In their recent article published in Policy & Politics, Johanna Kuenzler, Bettina Stauffer, Caroline Schlaufer, Geoboo Song, Aaron Smith-Walter and Michael D. Jones offer a systematic review and analysis of the historical development of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). Drawing on a review of 189 studies published between 2005 and 2022, they identify key trends, challenges and opportunities that shaped the trajectory of this influential framework and derive insights into its key challenges to help define a future research agenda.

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The value of poll-worker voice in the delivery of elections

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by Toby S. James and Alistair Clark

Two portraits of men speaking, the author's of the article

In their recent article published in Policy & Politics, Toby S. James and Alistair Clark explore how the perspectives of poll workers can inform and improve election delivery. They argue that these frontline workers—often marginalised in both research and practice—hold crucial knowledge about the functioning and fairness of democratic processes. Drawing on Carole Pateman’s theory of workplace democracy, they propose a model that listens to, and learns from, the people who help run elections on the ground.

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Measuring the democratic qualities of regulatory bodies: new tools for theory and comparison

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by Libby Maman, Jacint Jordana, David Levi-Faur, Edoardo Guaschino, Rahel Schomaker, and Esther Van-Zimmeren

6 portrait photos of 3 men and 3 women (the authors of the article)

Building on her previous research published here in Policy & Politics, Libby Maman, with coauthors Jacint Jordana, David Levi-Faur, Edoardo Guaschino, Rahel Schomaker and Esther Van-Zimmeren offer the first validated, comparative tool for analysing how regulatory agencies balance transparency, accountability, participation and inclusiveness — both in law (de jure) and in practice (de facto).

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How do policy and design intersect? Three relationships

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by Liz Richardson, Catherine Durose, Lucy Kimbell and Ramia Mazé

In a recent article published in Policy & Politics, Liz Richardson, Catherine Durose, Lucy Kimbell and Ramia Mazé explore how the fields of policy and design relate to one another — and why the common framing of ‘design for policy’ may be too narrow to capture the full range of interactions between the two. While design has become an increasingly visible feature of policymaking practice in recent years, the authors argue that existing accounts tend to list design methods (such as prototyping or visualisation) without fully exploring the purpose and politics behind their use.

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A theory of policy advisory system quality: Hirschman 2.0 or what makes for good policy advice?

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by Andrea Migone and Michael Howlett

two portraits of men with glasses, the authors of the article

In a recent article published in Policy & Politics, authors Andrea Migone and Michael Howlett offer a compelling new framework for understanding the quality of policy advisory systems. Their framework draws on Albert Hirschman’s Exit, Voice, and Loyalty (EVL) model, which suggests three ways individuals respond to perceived decline or dissatisfaction within an organisation/relationship: (i) exit by withdrawing from the situation, (ii) voice by expressing concerns and seeking improvement, and (iii) loyalty by remaining in the situation and hoping for improvement. Building on this model, the authors propose a more dynamic approach to assessing how advisory systems function — and why some produce better advice than others.

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Policy & Politics Highlights collection on Collaborative Governance: free to access from 31 July – 31 October 2025

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by Sarah Brown and Allegra Fullerton

Two women, the authors of this blog.

This quarter’s Policy & Politics highlights collection brings together three of our most popular articles recently published, that extend and deepen our theoretical and empirical understanding of collaborative governance. Each article advances our knowledge by engaging critically with key debates in the field, whether through conceptual synthesis, empirical exploration, or theoretical refinement. Together, they contribute to our understanding of the complexities and contingencies of collaboration in contemporary governance settings.

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