Multilevel governance and problem‐solving: Towards a dynamic theory of multilevel policy‐making?
| Date | 01 June 2019 |
| Published date | 01 June 2019 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12573 |
| Author | Martino Maggetti,Philipp Trein |
SYMPOSIUM ARTICLE
Multilevel governance and problem-solving:
Towards a dynamic theory of multilevel
policy-making?
Martino Maggetti | Philipp Trein
Institute of Political, Historical and
International Studies (IEPHI), University of
Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Correspondence
Philipp Trein, Institute of Political, Historical
and International Studies (IEPHI), Quartier
UNIL-Mouline, Géopolis 4346, University of
Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland.
Email: josefphilipp.trein@unil.ch
Funding information
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung
der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Grant/
Award Number: 162832
The copyright line for this article was changed
on April 15, 2019 after original online
publication.
In this article, we suggest that the governance of problems shapes
the institutional dynamics of multilevel governance (MLG) polities.
MLG arrangements—processes and institutions that enable policy-
making across different jurisdictional levels wherein both public
authorities and non-state actors are involved—can or cannot suc-
ceed in solving policy problems and at the same time they could
create new problems. We argue that the problem-solving capacity
and problem-generating potential of multilevel arrangements can
result in further, downwards, upwards or sideways delegation of
political authority, which in turn reconfigure the multilevel architec-
ture of the political system following either centripetal or centrifu-
gal tendencies. We illustrate our point with a stylized account of
the dynamics of MLG in the European Union (EU) since the early
1990s. We conclude with some remarks about developing a more
general theory of multilevel policy-making.
1|INTRODUCTION
In this article, we tackle the question of how the governance of problems in multilevel polities, such as the European
Union (EU), federal states, or international organizations, affects the institutional evolution of these settings. To
answer this question, we propose a discussion of wide-ranging mechanisms of multilevel system reconfiguration,
which follow sequences of problem-solving and problem-generating processes, and that can be applied to different
multilevel governance settings. Conceptually, we understand these mechanisms as pathways by which an effect is
produced (Gerring 2008) that can be examined indirectly (Hedstrom and Swedberg 1998, pp. 13–15; George and
Bennett 2005, p. 143) through showing the extent to which evidence is congruent with mechanism-based expecta-
tions (Blatter and Blume 2008). In doing so, we engage in theory-building with respect to the broader discussion on
the challenges of problem-solving in multilevel governance settings (Trein et al. 2019).
The concept of multilevel governance (MLG) emerged in the context of the study of regional integration in the
European Union (EU) (Marks 1993) to make sense of processes and institutions by which policies are made through
the interaction of public authorities located at different jurisdictional levels; thereby the original understanding of
Received: 31 January 2018 Revised: 17 September 2018 Accepted: 13 October 2018
DOI: 10.1111/padm.12573
Public Administration. 2019;97:355–369. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/padm © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 355
To continue reading
Request your trial