Explaining Policy Implementation Success and Failure: A Systematic Literature Review

In the last four decades, policy implementation scholars have identified multiple factors that influence policy implementation success and failure. However, a systematic literature review of the relative importance of factors when compared with each other and in different contexts is missing. This study addresses this research gap by systematically reviewing 150 empirical articles that investigate the factors influencing implementation success and failure. We identify several contextual dimensions including types of instruments, definitions of policy implementation success and failure, policy areas, target groups, and geographical contexts. We then classify the influencing factors and analyze them across the identified contextual dimensions, revealing patterns of policy implementation success and failure. In doing so, the paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of existing determinants of policy implementation success and failure in the cross-disciplinary policy implementation literature, thereby contributing to better policy design and ultimately to policy implementation success.