How can subnational governments develop and deliver distinctive policy agendas?
| Author | Andrew Connell,Emily St Denny,Steve Martin |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0020852321996429 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
How can subnational
governments develop
and deliver distinctive
policy agendas?
Andrew Connell
Cardiff University, UK
Emily St Denny
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Steve Martin
Cardiff University, UK
Abstract
The ways in which subnational governments develop and deliver distinctive policies is
central to our understanding of effective multi-level governance systems. The existing
literature focuses on institutional autonomy and the formal powers given to subnational
governments but this is only one side of the story. Success also depends on the way in
which policy actors deploy their powers, resources and legitimacy. This article presents
an empirical analysis of two contrasting attempts to develop distinctive policy frame-
works at the subnational level. It demonstrates the importance of looking beyond
formal institutional powers and paying attention to policymakers’ political skills and
visibility, as well as the strategies and tactics that they employ in deploying formal
powers. It highlights, in particular, the need for subnational governments to focus on
those issues where they can make a difference and to exploit their nodality within
policy networks to foster collaboration with state and non-state actors who bring
complementary resources.
Corresponding author:
Andrew Connell, Cardiff University – Wales Centre for Public Policy, 12 Museum Place, Cardiff
CF10 3BG, UK.
Email: connella2@cardiff.ac.uk
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
!The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852321996429
journals.sagepub.com/home/ras
2022, Vol. 88(4) 1159–1175
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Points for practitioners
A subnational government’s success in pursuing distinctive policy agendas depends on
the issues it decides to focus on and the way it chooses to deploy the formal powers
and resources available to it. There is little point in investing time and efforts in pursuing
issues that national governments are unwilling to cede control over. However, where
they are given a degree of autonomy, subnational governments need to exploit their
pivotal position in policy networks to foster collaboration with a range of state and
non-state actors who bring complementary resources.
Keywords
agenda setting, alcohol policy, governance, homelessness, subnational government,
policy tools
Introduction
Over the past 30 years, many countries around the world have looked to decen-
tralize power from national to subnational
1
levels in response both to political
demands for greater recognition of regional and local identities within larger
states, and to the perceived failings of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to governing.
However, the flow of decentralization has not been uniform and there have some-
times been tendencies back towards centralization (Ladner et al., 2016: 6). In the
UK, for example, after two decades of increasing devolution to Scotland, Northern
Ireland and Wales, the creation of common frameworks to replace those provided
by the European Union (EU) post-Brexit has raised significant questions about a
potential redistribution of power in favour of the UK government at the expense of
devolved governments (see, for example, McEwen et al., 2020; Mullen, 2019).
The distribution of powers between levels of governments may therefore be blurred
and contested, especially where – as, again, in the UK – decentralization is rela-
tively recent and/or asymmetrical.
The ability of subnational governments to use their powers distinctively is there-
fore a live issue for policymakers and researchers. The questions of ‘When do
subnational governments succeed in getting things done?’ and ‘What conditions
are required in order for a subnational government to successfully develop distinc-
tive policies that best meet the particular needs and priorities of their citizens?’ lie
at the heart of debates about devolved governance and the case for and against
increased regional and even local autonomy. They are also central to our under-
standing of effective policymaking and policy delivery within multi-level gover-
nance systems.
Much of the existing literature addresses these important questions through the
lens of institutional autonomy, and focuses on the formal powers available to
subnational governments. This matters but is only part of the story. This article
1160 International Review of Administrative Sciences 88(4)
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