Abstract
This chapter is about research design. It presents three main conceptual arguments: policy learning is an ontology of policy making; modes of policy learning are (non-exclusive) causal mechanisms; and the causal influence of mechanisms of learning can be investigated through process-tracing methodologies. From the operational point of view: it provides a (ontological) definition and conceptualization of policy learning (Sect. 2.2). It operationalizes modes of policy learning as distinct causal mechanisms for subsequent empirical analysis (Sect. 2.3); it shows how to employ the above operationalization in the context of process-tracing empirical methodologies (Sect. 2.4).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In other words, each policy process involving dense and iterated interactions of actors is characterized by an implicit learning dimension, regardless of its causal/explanatory influence.
- 2.
Modes of policy learning stem from regime-specific conditions and impinge on their process of implementation and outcomes (including policy change). In other words, in my view, modes of learning are both contingent on the policy process (i.e. on the interaction of actors in their specific institutional framework) and influences it and its outcomes.
- 3.
“Methodological approaches that use the tools of process tracing […] may also be employed to identify how the phases unfold [and] their interrelationships” (Heikkila & Gerlak, 2013, p. 502).
- 4.
In both the case studies, I rely heavily on official primary sources in the form of publications of EU actors. Official documentary sources abound in the EU, making them a natural choice.
References
Bauer, M. W., & Becker, S. (2014). The Unexpected Winner of the Crisis: The European Commission’s Strengthened Role in Economic Governance. Journal of European Integration, 36(3), 213–229.
Beach, D., & Pedersen, R. B. (2013). Process-Tracing Methods. Foundations and Guidelines. University of Michigan Press.
Bennett, A., & Checkel, J. T. (Eds.). (2014). Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool. Cambridge University Press.
Bickerton, C., Hodson, D., & Puetter, U. (2015). The New Intergovernmentalism: European Integration in the Post-Maastricht Era. Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(4), 703–722.
Dunlop, C., & Radaelli, C. M. (2013). Systematizing Policy Learning: From Monoliths to Dimensions. Political Studies, 61(3), 599–619.
Dunlop, C. A., & Radaelli, C. M. (2018). Does Policy Learning Meet the Standards of a Theoretical Lens on the Policy Process? Policy Studies Journal, 46, S48–S68.
Eckstein, H. (1992). Regarding Politics: Essays on Political Theory, Stability, and Change. University of California Press.
Falleti, T. G., & Lynch, J. F. (2009). Context and Causal Mechanisms in Political Analysis. Comparative Political Studies, 42(9), 1143–1166.
Freeman, R. (2006). Learning in Public Policy. In M. Moran, M. Rein, & R. E. Goodin (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Public Policy. Oxford University Press.
Glennan, S. S. (1996). Mechanisms and the Nature of Causation. Erkenntnis, 44, 49–71.
Heclo, H. (1974). Modern Social Politics in Britain and Sweden. Yale University Press.
Heikkila, T., & Gerlak, A. K. (2013). Building a Conceptual Approach to Collective Learning: Lessons for Public Policy Scholars. Policy Studies Journal, 41, 484–511.
Heipertz, M., & Verdun, A. (2010). Ruling Europe: The Politics of the Stability and Growth Pact. Cambridge University Press.
Hernes, G. (1998). Real Virtuality. In P. Hedström & R. Swedbeeg (Eds.), Social Mechanisms. Cambridge University Press.
Jones, E., Kelemen, D., Meunier, S., & S. (2016). Failing Forward? The Euro Crisis and the Incomplete Nature of European Integration. Comparative Political Studies, 49(7), 1010–1034.
Kamkhaji, J. C., & Radaelli, C. M. (2017). Crisis, Learning and Policy Change in the European Union. Journal of European Public Policy, 24(5), 714–734.
Levy, J. (2008). Case Studies: Types, Designs, and Logics of Inference. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 25(1), 1–18.
May, P. J. (1992). Policy Learning and Failure. Journal of Public Policy, 12(4), 331–354.
McNamara, K. R. (1998). The Currency of Ideas. Monetary Politics in the European Union. Cornell University Press.
Niemann, A., & Ioannou, D. (2015). European Economic Integration in Times of Crisis: A Case of Neofunctionalism? Journal of European Public Policy, 22(2), 196–218.
Sawyer, K. R. (2004). The Mechanisms of Emergence. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 34(2), 260–282.
Schimmelfennig, F. (2014). Efficient Process Tracing: Analyzing the Causal Mechanisms of European Integration. In A. Bennett & J. T. Checkel (Eds.), Process Tracing: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool. Cambridge University Press.
Schimmelfennig, F. (2015). Liberal Intergovernmentalism and the Euro Area Crisis. Journal of European Public Policy, 22(2), 177–195.
Stern, E. (1997). Crisis and Learning: A Conceptual Balance Sheet. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 5(2), 69–86.
Wiener, A., & Diez, T. (2009). Introducing the Mosaic of Integration Theory. In A. Wiener & T. Diez (Eds.), European Integration Theory. Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kamkhaji, J.C. (2022). Research Design. In: Policy Learning and the Euro. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04264-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04264-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-04263-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-04264-5
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)