About

Policy process research represents an important part of the study of public policy emphasizing dynamics and context of policy-making (knowledge of the policy process), which has gained increasing attention and importance throughout the last years. Its rapid development prompts the need for institutionalized exchange and joint research to increase knowledge of the policy process, and to provide insights into the stages of the policy cycle and beyond. Answering this need, the Standing Group on Public Policy devotes its interest to the further development of policy process research at all stages of the policy cycle. In doing so, it will place particular emphasis on essential elements of the policy process, including actors, institutions and their interrelated dynamics, following from e.g. external events or cognitive mechanisms. It embraces the genesis, advancement, application, and cross-fertilisation of policy process frameworks, thereby being open to established and emerging perspectives alike. The intellectual reflection will thereby touch upon the know frameworks, such as the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework (IAD), the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF), the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), and the Programmatic Action Framework (PAF). However, it will be far from limited to these perspectives and explicitly welcome related perspectives, such as polycentric governance, policy learning, and social identities.

The Standing Group's current Steering Committee is composed of Karin Ingold (University of Bern), Johanna Hornung (University of Lausanne), Johanna Kuenzler (University of Speyer), and Vilém Novotny (Charles University Prague).

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As a Standing Group of the ECPR, our aim is to provide a European perspective on public policy and policy process frameworks. While we are based in Europe, we are open to research from different world regions and aim to boost international discussions and networks to foster the community around policy research and to strengthen the network of scholars interested in the study of policy processes. As such, the Standing Group presents a collaborative platform open to all European researchers working in this field, bringing together scholars seeking to shed light on the entire policy process or particular aspects of public policy and policy-making, including – but not limited to – policy actors, networks, ideas, institutions, focusing events, and others. The Standing Group strives to facilitate communication among scholars studying the policy process, to enhance their capacity in better understanding of this process, and to inform the wider attentive public of its members’ scholarly work. This will encompass specifically (but not exclusively) the following areas:

surveying and assessing the current state of application — empirical, theoretical and methodological – in prominent theories of the policy process
stimulating conceptual innovation by facilitating dialogue and conversations between policy process frameworks and theoretical perspectives from the policy sciences, public policy, political science, public administration, etc.
fostering methodological innovation by facilitating dialogue and conversations between the methodologies used in the application of policy process frameworks and related methods from other disciplines, such as economics, public administration, psychology, and others
encouraging conceptualization of overlapping and complementary aspects to promote the generation of new research agendas
serving as a catalyst for developing joint research proposals
providing space to establish and foster communities addressing particular theoretical, methodological and empirical aspects of the policy process research
encouraging conversations, meetings and cooperation among particular communities addressing different aspects of the policy process
providing opportunities for networking for scholars sharing common theoretical orientations and interests
to enhance the practical relevance of policy process research in turbulent, complex and conflictual times characterised by ecological and migration crises, and the erosion of democratic institutions
to stimulate forms of policy process research that enhance the democratic quality of society
to foster exchange on teaching methods and promote best practice examples of teaching the policy process

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We have organized several successful sections on policy process research at ECPR General Conferences, for example in Prague in 2016, Oslo 2017, Hamburg 2018, Wroclaw 2019, the Virtual General Conference in 2020 and 2021, and in Innsbruck 2022. We have a large network not just within Europe, but also across the ocean that for many years ensures reliable participation in our section at ECPR conferences.

We envision a broad range of activities that are united by the aim of enhancing our understanding of the policy process.
The ECPR events are important venues for our standing group. At the ECPR General Conference, we will annually convene and jointly host a section. Furthermore, we will endorse and coordinate workshops at the ECPR Joint Sessions to allow for prolonged, indepth discussions. These meetings will allow us to engage in the development of the policy process theories and to launch over-arching debates about the different frameworks, thus enabling cross-fertilization between the different sub-communities.

Further, we would like to organize a range of activities throughout the year. An international PhD Summer School would be one example to enable students and junior scholars to learn about the theories of the policy process and to engage in critical debates both with their peers and with senior scholars. Workshops, roundtables, and presentations – both on- and offline, if the circumstances allow for it – will provide opportunities for the policy process research community to deepen theoretical and methodological discussions and to obtain feedback for ongoing projects. We want to support initiatives stemming from the community and provide them with adequate tools and platforms to advance their research and teaching.

Group Framework