Local and Regional Capacity

Abstract

This panel advances the scholarship on ‘policy capacity’ and ‘governance capacity’ at local and regional levels, addressing calls to localise international agendas, develop place-based responses to complex policy and governance challenges and build more effective intergovernmental relations. Although these concepts were formulated and operationalised primarily at national level, recent publications show a growing scholarly and practical interest in their relevance and translation to local and regional policy and governance (Hermelin and Gustafsson 2024; Capano et al. 2025). Various understandings of capacity exist, including for policy, governance, administration and implementation which emphasise different aspects of capacity and capacity-building (see Lodge and Wegrich, 2014; Wu et al., 2015; Newman et al., 2017; Van Popering‑Verkerk et al., 2022). Translating existing frameworks to the context of sub-national (local and regional) settings characterised by intense interdependence, constrained autonomy, geographic conditions and inequalities, and diverse institutional configurations, remains a challenge. This is problematic as complex policy challenges require effective regional and local policy and governance, and results in significant ambiguity about what local and/or regional capacity is, where it is located and how it should be measured. Relatedly, there remains a lack of understanding about which organisations contribute to local and regional capacity and what factors enable or constrain its development. The panel explores these dilemmas through three interlinked themes: 1. Investigating the capacity to localise (inter)national agendas is essential for understanding how sub national governments and other actors translate global and national policy frameworks into territorially relevant strategies. Such inquiry enables comparative analysis of institutional, political, and administrative capabilities across contexts and sheds light on capacity asymmetries and their consequences for effective implementation and overall policy coherence. 2. Equally important is examining how capacity shapes the development of place based responses—specifically, how local authorities mobilise territorial knowledge, broker multi sector collaboration, and craft integrated policy interventions. Advancing these insights can illuminate the ways in which uneven local capabilities affect policy performance and influence long term trajectories of territorial development. 3. Analysing the distribution of capacity across tiers and actors, including authority, resources, and responsibilities, can improve the effectiveness of intergovernmental relations. This may involve incorporating insights from existing research strands on local leadership and agency, decentralisation and evolution reforms, and multilevel dynamics for implementation, democratic accountability, and institutional resilience. Capano et al. (2025). Does Policy Capacity Truly Matter for Governmental Effectiveness? A Conjunctural Analysis of the Quality of Governance in Italian Regions. Governance, 38(3), e70027. Hermelin and Gustafsson (2024). A local governance initiative for climate mitigation: the place-leading role of local government. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 11(1), 599-613. Lodge and Wegrich (Eds.). (2014). The problem-solving capacity of the modern state: Governance challenges and administrative capacities. Oxford University Press. Newman et al. (2017). Policy capacity and evidence-based policy in the public service. Public Management Review, 19(2), 157–174. Van Popering-Verkerk et al. (2022). A framework for governance capacity: A broad perspective on steering efforts in society. Administration & Society, 54(9), 1767-1794. Wu et al. (2015). Policy capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding policy competences and capabilities. Policy and society, 34(3-4), 165-171.

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