Policy integration: mapping the different concepts

ABSTRACT

A growing number of studies have examined the collaboration of actors from two or more policy domains in order to integrate aims and concerns derived from one policy domain into another. In our literature review, we refer to this empirical phenomenon as ‘policy integration’, exemplified by the Health in All Policies approach. Despite the wealth of literature on the subject, the scientific community only has access to a portion of the insights that have come out of this field of research, due primarily to the fact that policy integration is discussed using a variety of different terms, which tend to be specific to the policy domain under investigation. To facilitate a more inclusive scientific debate on policy integration, we provide a comprehensive overview of the different terminologies associated with policy integration and analyse the recurring themes in the respective literature strands. What is the motivation for policy-makers to promote policy integration? What is the design of the instruments used for policy integration? How does policy integration affect the policy-making process? And how well does policy integration perform? These are the four questions guiding our study.

KEYWORDS:

• Boundary-spanning policy regimes
• comprehensive planning
• holistic government and governance
• joined-up government
• policy coherence
• policy integration and mainstreaming
• whole of government

Acknowledgements

Previous versions and parts of this paper were presented at the Seventh ECPR General Conference 2013, 4–7 September 2013, Bordeaux, France, and the ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops, 29 March – 2 April 2015, Warsaw, Poland. The paper also benefitted from discussions at the Marsilius-Kolleg at Heidelberg University and the symposium with the title ‘Cross-Sectoral Policy Integration: The Strategic Dimension’ held at the International Academic Forum Heidelberg on 28–29 April 2016. We gratefully acknowledge insightful comments by Dietmar Braun, Nicolas Jager, Moshe Maor, Guy Peters, Jennifer Shore, Philipp Trein, and all other participants of these events. Rebecca Abu-Sharkh did an excellent job in language editing and Felix Scholl in cleaning up the references.

Notes on contributors

Jale Tosun is Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at Heidelberg University, Germany

Achim Lang is Lecturer in Public Governance Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Cooperation in Science and Technology [grant number INOGOV – Innovations in Climate Governance (IS1309)].