Analyzing Policy Advice: The Case of Climate Policy in Germany

Abstract

Comparative research in public administration and public policy is remarkably split between institutional approaches identifying features of politico-administrative systems accounting for policy-making, and policy analytical approaches explaining policy-making by factors related to the respective policy domain. This divide becomes crucial in the analysis of policy advice. On the one hand, advisory systems are affected by features of politico-administrative systems because bureaucrats represent important sources of advice to ministers. On the other hand, advisory systems also vary across policy domains. The paper aims to reconcile the two ap-proaches by analyzing policy advisory systems from both perspectives. Advisory systems basically rely on how expertise is activated both within bureaucracy and in interaction with external actors. Hence, the paper focuses on the question, why and how features of the politi-co-administrative system and the policy domain affect the activation of expertise. Theoretical-ly, the paper is rooted in institutional theory and policy analysis. Empirically, the paper inves-tigates policy the advisory system in the area of climate change policy as an expertise-intensive policy domain in Germany.

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