Policy mixes for biodiversity: a diffusion analysis of state-level citizens’ initiatives in Germany

ABSTRACT

In 2018, a citizens’ initiative (CI) launched in the German State of Bavaria put forth the ‘policy idea’ of preserving and enhancing biodiversity and formulated a concrete policy proposal for implementing it. This policy idea diffused across Germany and resulted in the launch of similar CIs in the States of Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Research on policy diffusion through governmental channels has found that this process typically results in one of two outcomes: the policy in question is either adopted in a copy-and-paste manner or adapted to the respective local conditions. Did the diffusion process of the Bavarian CI result in the other CIs proposing a similar or different mix of policy goals and instruments? We find that the mix of policy goals corresponded closely to that of the Bavarian CI, suggesting diffusion through imitation or learning but with an element of adaptation as well. Striking differences exist between the mix of policy instruments employed by the Bavaria-based CI and the other CIs, which corroborates the importance of adaptation to local conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Adaptation
• biodiversity
• citizens’ initiatives
• diffusion
• Germany
• policy mixes

Acknowledgements

We thank Sven Prange and Manuela Ripa for providing valuable background information and Nora El-Awdan, Lucas Leopold, and Leonhard Lübke for research assistance. Two anonymous reviewers provided generous comments on previous versions of the study. We further acknowledge editorial assistance from Laurence Crumbie.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 We have chosen the most recently updated lists that refer to different years for the States, which are abbreviated as follows: Baden-Württemberg = BW; Bavaria = BA; Brandenburg = BB; Lower Saxony = NDS; North Rhine-Westphalia = NRW. Bees (Germany/NRW/NDS/BY/BW/BB): 2011/2002/20092003/2000/2000; butterflies (Germany/NRW/NDS/BY/BW/BB): 2011/2010/2004/2016/2004/2001; nesting birds (Germany/NRW/NDS/BY/BW/BB): 2016/2018/2015/2016/2016/2019; plants (Germany/NRW/NDS/BY/BW/BB): 2018/2010/2004/2003/2014/2006.

2 Baden-Württemberg: https://volksbegehren-artenschutz.de; Bavaria: https://volksbegehren-artenvielfalt.de; Brandenburg: https://artenvielfalt-brandenburg.de; Lower Saxony: https://www.artenvielfalt-niedersachsen.jetzt/; North Rhine-Westphalia: https://artenvielfalt-nrw.de/ (all websites last retrieved on 30 May 2021). In Brandenburg, two CIs were launched: one by a group of environmental organisations and one organised by a group of landowners. Here, we included the one promoted by the environmental organisations only, since it put forth a more ambitious policy proposal. For details on the CI organised by the land users, see: https://initiativebienensummen.de/ (last retrieved 22 August 2021).

Additional information

Funding

This study is an outcome of seed funding by the Heidelberg Center for the Environment and the AgroBioDiv project funded by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg.

Notes on contributors

Jale Tosun

Jale Tosun is Professor of Political Science and Deputy Director of the Heidelberg Center for the Environment.

Marcus A. Koch

Marcus A. Koch is Professor of Biological Science and Director of Heidelberg Botanical Garden and Herbarium.