Bottom-Up Federal Dynamics: Policy Entrepreneurs’ Strategies and Multilevel Policymaking in Switzerland

Federalism is considered both a driver and a constraint in the adoption and implementation of environmental policies (Fenna et al., 2023). In Switzerland, the combination of federalism with direct democracy creates significant constraints, such as poor intercantonal coordination, or the existence of veto points that may obstruct policymaking or lead to blame-shifting (Kammerer et al., 2023). In the context of urgent climate action, a recurring question is whether Switzerland’s federal structure is compatible with the effective fulfillment of global environmental goals. This question is typically framed from a top-down perspective, focusing on the challenges faced by federal and subnational actors in adopting and implementing policies across levels. This article shifts the lens to a bottom-up approach, exploring how actors perceive and exploit these dynamics, and potentially take advantage of Switzerland's multiple access points. We ask: how do actors use multilevel settings to advance their environmental agenda? Drawing on Kreienkamp et al. (2022) we supplement a multilevel governance (MLG) lens with John Kingdon’s (1995) influential multiple streams framework (MSF). Using data from a survey experiment and semi-structured interviews, we examine the strategies employed by policy entrepreneurs to promote change within Switzerland's federal structure and the conditions under which they succeed. By focusing on actors’ perspectives, we shed light on how federalism is experienced as an insurmountable constraint, circumvented through informal strategies, or strategically leveraged to advance policy goals, offering a sophisticated understanding of policymaking dynamics in a multilevel context in Switzerland. (please note that I would like to be on a virtual panel as I won't be able to travel to the conference)