scholarly journals The importance of policy design fit for effectiveness: a qualitative comparative analysis of policy integration in regional transport planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijn T. van Geet ◽  
Stefan Verweij ◽  
Tim Busscher ◽  
Jos Arts
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Policy Integration ◽  
Transport Planning ◽  
Regional Transport ◽  
Design Effectiveness

AbstractPolicy design has returned as a central topic in public policy research. An important area of policy design study deals with effectively attaining desired policy outcomes by aligning goals and means to achieve policy design fit. So far, only a few empirical studies have explored the relationship between policy design fit and effectiveness. In this paper, we adopt the multilevel framework for policy design to determine which conditions of policy design fit—i.e., goal coherence, means consistency, and congruence of goals and means across policy levels—are necessary and/or sufficient for policy design effectiveness in the context of policy integration. To this end, we performed a qualitative comparative analysis of Dutch regional transport planning including all twelve provinces. Outcomes show no condition is necessary and two combinations of conditions are sufficient for effectiveness. The first sufficient combination confirms what the literature suggests, namely that policy design fit results in policy design effectiveness. The second indicates that the combination goal incoherence and incongruence of goals and means is sufficient for policy design effectiveness. An in-depth interpretation of this counterintuitive result leads to the conclusion that for achieving policy integration the supportive relationship between policy design fit and policy design effectiveness is less straightforward as theory suggests. Instead, results indicate there are varying degrees of coherence, consistency, and congruence that affect effectiveness in different ways. Furthermore, outcomes reveal that under specific circumstances a policy design may be effective in promoting desired policy integration even if it is incoherent, inconsistent, and/or incongruent.

scholarly journals Power and False Negatives in Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Foundations, Simulation and Estimation for Empirical Studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Rohlfing
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Truth Table ◽  
Permutation Testing ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Table Analysis ◽  
Sole Criterion

In Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), empirical researchers use the consistency value as one, if not sole, criterion to decide whether an association between a term and an outcome is consistent with a set-relational claim. Braumoeller (2015) points out that the consistency value is unsuitable for this purpose. We need to know the probability of obtaining it under the null hypothesis of no systematic relation. He introduces permutation testing for estimating the $p$ value of a consistency score as a safeguard against false positives. In this paper, I introduce permutation-based power estimation as a safeguard against false-negative conclusions. Low power might lead to the false exclusion of truth table rows from the minimization procedure and the generation and interpretation of invalid solutions. For a variety of constellations between an alternative and null hypothesis and numbers of cases, simulations demonstrate that power estimates can range from 1 to 0. Ex post power analysis for 63 truth table analyses shows that even under the most favorable constellation of parameters, about half of them can be considered low-powered. This points to the value of estimating power and calculating the required number of cases before the truth table analysis.

scholarly journals Assumptions About Behavior and Choice in Response to Public Assistance

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal C. Hall ◽  
Martha M. Galvez ◽  
Isaac M. Sederbaum
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Social Service Delivery

Assumptions about decision making and consumer preferences guide programs and products intended to help low-income households achieve healthy outcomes and financial stability. Despite their importance to service design and implementation, these assumptions are rarely stated explicitly, or empirically tested. Some key assumptions may reflect ideas carried over from an earlier era of social-service delivery. Or they may reflect research on decision making by higher income populations that do not hold or have not been tested in a low-income context. This disconnect between assumptions and evidence potentially results in less effective policy design and implementation—at substantial financial and social cost. This piece examines how insights from psychology can help policymakers analyze the core assumptions about behavior that underlie policy outcomes. Three policy areas serve as case studies, to examine some implicit and explicit assumptions about how low-income individuals make decisions under public and nonprofit assistance: banking, nutrition, and housing. Research on preferences and decision making evaluates these foundational assumptions. This perspective provides a unique and under-utilized framework to explain some behavioral puzzles, examine and predict the actions of individuals living in poverty, and understand what are often disappointing program outcomes. Recommendations suggest how psychology and behavioral decision making can impact policy research and design.

European integration, party strategies, and state restructuring: a comparative analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Dardanelli
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Sharp Drop ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Party Strategies ◽  
State Restructuring ◽  
The Cross

To what extent and in what way does European integration fuel state restructuring? This is a long-standing but still not a fully answered question. While the theoretical literature suggests a positive link between the two, previous empirical studies have reached contrasting conclusions. The article offers an alternative testing of the proposition, centred on the role of party strategies as a causal mechanism, analysed across space and time. On the cross-sectional axis, it focusses on parties in Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium), Lombardy and Sicily (Italy), Catalonia and Andalusia (Spain), and Scotland and Wales (United Kingdom). On the cross-temporal axis, it focuses on four critical junctures connecting integration and state restructuring. It analyses the degree to which ‘Europe’ has been strategically used in connection to state restructuring and which conditions have been necessary and/or sufficient to that outcome. The analysis has been conducted on the basis of a Qualitative Comparative Analysis methodology. Five main results emerge: (1) overall, parties have generally exploited ‘Europe’ in connection with state restructuring to a limited extent only but in a few cases exploitation has been very intense and intimately linked to strategic turning points; (2) ‘Europe’ has overwhelmingly been used to support state restructuring; (3) the most intense use has been made by regional parties with a secessionist position and positive attitude to the EU; (4) ‘use of Europe’ is a product of a complex conjunctural effect of several conditions; (5) it has increased over time but is not a linear product of integration, a sharp drop can be observed between the two most recent time points. These findings show that European integration can indeed exercise causal influence upon state restructuring via party strategies but that this is highly contingent on the complex interaction of multiple factors.

scholarly journals Addressing the Challenges Related to Transforming Qualitative Into Quantitative Data in Qualitative Comparative Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora de Block ◽  
Barbara Vis
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Calibration Data ◽  
Sensitivity Testing ◽  
Data Presentation ◽  
Data Calibration

The use of qualitative data has so far received relatively little attention in methodological discussions on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). This article addresses this lacuna by discussing the challenges researchers face when transforming qualitative data into quantitative data in QCA. By reviewing 29 empirical studies using qualitative data for QCA, we explore common practices related to data calibration, data presentation, and sensitivity testing. Based on these three issues, we provide considerations when using qualitative data for QCA, which are relevant both for QCA scholars working with qualitative data and the wider mixed methods research community involved in quantitizing.

The Potential of Co-benefits to Spur Subnational Carbon Pricing in North America: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Daniela Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
High Risk ◽  
North America ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
Carbon Pricing

Abstract We only partially understand the rise of subnational North American governments as carbon-pricing pioneers because fewer than half of the jurisdictions that consider a carbon-pricing policy (CPP) implement one. This article contributes to the literature on CPPs that relies on political economy dynamics and power relations to explain not only policy outcomes but also the lack thereof. Using a qualitative comparative analysis of fifty-four cases, the article shows that subnational governments that have officially considered a CPP tend to implement it if the visible and local co-benefits of mitigation help them bear the political and economic costs of pricing emissions. Findings also show that the regulation of industries with high risk of carbon leakage does not automatically preclude the enactment of CPPs and that the scope of the policy may be more decisive for implementation.

scholarly journals Qualitative comparative analysis in educational policy research: Procedures, processes, and possibilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 205979911984098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J Bingham ◽  
Sean Dean ◽  
Jessica Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Educational Policy ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Oriented Research

In educational policy research, linking specific practices to specific outcomes is an important (though not the only) goal, which can bias researchers (and funders) toward employing purely quantitative methods. Given the context-specific nature of policy implementation in education, however, we argue that understanding how specific practices lead to specific outcomes in specific conditions or contexts is critical to improving education. Qualitative comparative analysis is a method of qualitative research that we argue can help to answer these kinds of questions in studies of educational policies and reforms. Qualitative comparative analysis is a case-oriented research method designed to identify causal relationships between variables and a particular outcome. Distinct from quantitative causal methods, qualitative comparative analysis requires qualitative data to identify conditions (and combinations of conditions) that lead to a particular result; it is context driven, just as many educational reforms must necessarily be. We contend that qualitative comparative analysis has the potential to be of use to educational researchers in investigating complex problems of cause and effect using qualitative data. As such, our aim here is to provide a general overview of the characteristics, processes, and outcomes of qualitative comparative analysis. In so doing, we hope to offer guidance to educational researchers around how and when to use qualitative comparative analysis, as well as recommendations for current educational issues that could be investigated with qualitative comparative analysis.

Do many roads lead to Rome? Multiple causation in monetary transfers and how to approach it

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (Junio) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Garcés Velástegui
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Monetary Transfers ◽  
Multiple Causation ◽  
Relevant Factors ◽  
Do So

Monetary transfers are an increasingly widespread policy to smooth consumption and alleviate poverty. Assessments, however, suggest a mixed record. Moreover, despite their often conclusive tone, such exercises leave many relevant factors unaccounted for. This is arguably due to the assumptions regarding causality made by the methods used. Consequently, those assumptions are challenged and it is argued that monetary transfers assume multiple causality. To do so, it is emphasized that monetary transfers establish minimum goals for beneficiaries to meet and that the latter are inherently heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is displayed by individual characteristics as well as by the features of the contexts in which they live. Hence, there is diversity regarding the pathways to the achievement of policy outcomes and an adequate approach to study it is required. Qualitative Comparative Analysis, a method particularly suited for the study of multiple conjunctural causation, is argued for.

scholarly journals Conflict cultures – Qualitative Comparative Analysis of environmental conflicts in forestry

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-109
Author(s):  
Eeva Hellström
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Environmental Conflicts ◽  
Resource Characteristics ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Analysis Models

Owing to the internationalisation of the forestry debate and forest policy, there is growing need to conduct comparative forest policy research at an international scale. This research compares environmental confl icts in forestry in seven cases during 1984–1995. The cases include Finland, France, Minnesota USA, Norway, Pacifi c Northwest USA, Sweden and West Germany. The research is based on the notion that each society has its own ‘cultural’ ways of producing and managing environmental confl icts in forestry, depending on the social, political, economic, and resource characteristics of the society. The purpose of the study is to describe these confl ict cultures, to identify and analyse the societal aspects that impact them, and to discuss the implications of understanding confl icts as cultural phenomena. The research is based on focused interviews of multiple actors related to forest management and protection. For the data analysis, a ‘hermeneutic’ (interpretative and understanding) approach is introduced to Qualitative Comparative Analysis, the use of which has been dominated by causal applications. As a result of the analysis, models of confl ict cultures and confl ict management strategies are constructed. The model of confl ict cultures indicates three basic dimensions of confl ict culture, and defi nes how they are related to each other. These dimensions are mild vs. intense confl icts, separatist vs. co-operative relations between actors and stability vs. change in forest resource policy and use. The model of confl ict management strategies indicates to what extent the different cases place emphasis on interactive vs. institutional confl ict management, and the management of confl icting (sub)cultures within the society vs. the confl ict culture of the society.

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