Implementation arrangements as institutions: Assessments and prospects

作者：Mattia Casula, Yves Steinebach · 发表于：Review of Policy Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/ropr.70004 · 研究领域：Social Policy and Reform Studies、Public Policy and Administration Research、Healthcare innovation and challenges

In 2007, the German government adopted the parental leave benefit scheme. Although this was a federal-level social policy, it was the responsibility of the German states (Länder) to establish the structures for its implementation. The Länder opted for quite different implementation arrangements, resulting in varied outcomes. In the state of Baden-Württemberg, the implementation was entrusted to the state bank, which established a dedicated infrastructure specifically for this purpose. In the city-state of Bremen, the administration of the program was managed by the social welfare offices. In the former case, the implementation proceeded smoothly and efficiently. However, in the latter, the implementation of the policy scheme was characterized by significant delays, as the responsibilities were added to an already overburdened administration. This led to a waiting period of up to 4 months after the birth of their child before receiving their first financial payment (Adam et al., 2019). Essentially, this left young parents struggling with a single income. This example vividly demonstrates that the choice and design of implementation arrangements are actually “fundamental empirical elements of public policy” (Schneider & Sidney, 2009, p. 104), especially in times when administrative resources already seem overstretched by an ever-increasing number of tasks but limited capacities (Fernández-i-Marín et al., 2024). Governments worldwide are grappling with significant challenges suc...