Instruments for Policy Integration: How Policy Mixes Work Together

Guillermo M. Cejudo and Cynthia L. Michel

SAGE Open, 2021, vol. 11, issue 3, 21582440211032161

Abstract: To effectively address complex problems, different policy instruments must be integrated into policy mixes. A crucial task for the policymaker is to identify the set of instruments to be deployed and to integrate them into a policy mix. However, policy instruments not only need to be coherent in their design; their implementation also requires instruments that create interdependence and preserve the integrated logic of the policy mix over time. In this paper we identify the instruments that make integration work. We argue that for policy mixes to solve complex problems, instruments that secure the continued interaction of its components are needed. We show that three instruments serve this purpose: a policy frame, authority, and information. We use three cases where governments have attempted to solve complex problems through policy integration to illustrate our argument. With this paper, we advance our understanding of how integration works and, by doing so, we inform decision-makers about the specific policy tools necessary to achieve it.

Keywords: policy integration; policy mix; policy design; policy instruments; comparative public policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:21582440211032161

DOI: 10.1177/21582440211032161

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