GOV 39/4 2026-08-31
Original Why Some Critical Junctures Lead Nowhere: Exploring Dynamic and Static Policy Paths
Katrine Skagen
Abstract
ABSTRACT Some critical junctures fail to cause significant change in practice. Inspired by historical institutionalism, this article develops the concept of dynamic and static policy paths to explain why some critical junctures do not lead to change, while others do. Combining insights from policy process literature and policy implementation, it conceptualizes critical junctures through four elements: framing, targets, instruments, and actors/institutions. Based on two case studies, the article argues that the importance of framing and targets has been overexaggerated, and that a dynamic path will not occur unless there is also a significant change in instruments and actors/institutions. In Denmark, a climate policy agreement created a new policy direction for agriculture in which climate policy is a key component. In Norway, a climate policy agreement did not change the trajectory of sectoral policy and climate policy development has remained stagnant. Thus, differences in the critical junctures led to different policy paths.
PSJ 54/4 2026-08-29
Original Disclosing Power Dynamics in Metropolitan Governance: An Analysis of Network Micro‐Mechanisms of Change in an Evolving Inter‐Municipal Network
PAR — 2026-08-28
Original Toward a Gender Sensitive and Locally Rooted co‐Production Approach: Insights From Implementing Child Stunting Eradication Program in Indonesia
PAR — 2026-08-28
Original Coordination Costs and Homelessness Housing Form Choice
Edmund Poku Adu, Julius A. Nukpezah
Abstract
ABSTRACT Local implementers have discretion in selecting forms of housing for the homeless, yet the determinants of these choices remain poorly understood. Using the institutional collective action (ICA) framework, this study examines California's Homekey program to assess how coordination demands shape decisions among hotel conversions, multifamily acquisitions, and modular or new construction. Drawing on binary logistic, generalized estimating equation (GEE), and multinomial logistic models, we find that larger projects and those designated as permanent housing are significantly more likely to pursue hotel conversions. Housing authorities—owing to their specialized missions and lower form‐specific coordination costs—are over six times more likely than cities to select multifamily acquisition. Local vacancy constraints further steer implementers away from modular or new construction and toward hotel conversions. These results demonstrate that implementation form is not a neutral technical decision but an institutional response to coordination challenges embedded in intergovernmental and interorganizational contexts.
PSJ 54/3 2026-08-28
Original Conditional Autonomy, Discursive Gatekeeping, and Patterns of Action: How Experts Influence Policy in China's One‐Party System
PMR — pp. 1-30 2026-08-26 Original Beyond monolithic state logic: how top-down accountability shapes policy implementation
W. G. Will Zhao
Abstract
How does top-down accountability shape policy implementation? Drawing on institutional logics, this paper distinguishes two state sub-logics: ‘high-stakes context logic’ emphasizing centralized control during crises, and ‘routine governance logic’ allowing discretion during day-to-day administration. These sub-logics condition the perceived legitimacy of accountability demands, felt accountability, and behavioural responses. A survey experiment with over 800 public service respondents shows that, under high-stakes logic, intensified accountability progressively improve compliance, whereas under routine logic, moderate accountability produces optimal compliance, with high-intensity accountability yielding diminishing returns. These findings challenge binary views of accountability and reveal how within-logic variations may alter governance mechanisms.
PMR — pp. 1-44 2026-08-25 Original Contingent capacity: navigating organizational dependency in Dutch municipal energy transitions
Negin Salimi, Stijn van Hiele
Abstract
Municipalities implementing energy transition mandates rely on contingent workers to fill capacity and expertise gaps, raising concerns about dependency and knowledge loss. Drawing on Resource Dependence Theory and client–consultant literature, this study develops a framework capturing the feedback loop between external reliance and internal capacity development. Fifteen interviews across six Dutch municipalities show that labour shortages and temporary subsidies drive contingent hiring, while short contracts and limited knowledge transfer heighten dependency. Municipalities facing similar constraints diverge through knowledge integration, governance arrangements, and relational dynamics. It advances public administration scholarship by conceptualising dependency as a process rather than structural outcome.
PA — 2026-08-23
Original Does Gender Budgeting Improve Women's Well‐Being, Equality, and Empowerment?
PMR — pp. 1-32 2026-08-21 Original Towards inclusive prosperity: comparative analysis of Indigenous procurement policies in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Irene Henriques, Rick Colbourne, Christian Eva, Jesse Pirini, Barbara Allen, Ana Maria Peredo
PSJ 54/3 2026-08-21
Original Diagnosing Institutional Design‐Implementation Gaps: A Dual‐Layer Systems Modeling Language Protocol for Visualizing Institutional Change Mechanisms