Policy innovation at the local, national and supranational level

Abstract

Governments are increasingly confronted with complex, non-routine societal challenges that policymaking struggles to address. As a result, innovative policymaking approaches are becoming ever more vital. This study focuses on policy innovation and explores the institutionalisation of such approaches across micro (local), meso (national), and macro (supranational) levels of government. Drawing on exploratory interviews and a structured survey, it investigates the roles, emergence, actors, methods, barriers, funding mechanisms, and impact evaluation associated with policy innovation. The findings suggest that, although policy innovation is widely regarded as important by public officers and academics, it is largely used to support policymaking rather than as a strategic driver. New approaches often arise through diffusion, internal sponsorship, and bottom-up initiatives. Academia and civil society are often involved, while SMEs and NGOs to a lesser extent. The approaches leverage digital technologies (e.g., AI and data-driven tools), as well as participatory methods, foresight, and system thinking. Funding is mixed, with local governments more reliant on external sources. Institutional risk aversion and insufficient impact evaluation persist across all levels of government. These initial findings may point to a shift from a lab-based model of policy innovation toward a more distributed and enabling environment. Future research could examine how this transition influences broader policy innovation factors such as governance structures, institutional processes, and administrative practices.