Metadata only
Datum
2024Typ
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliographie
yes
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Abstract
Policy preferences are a key element in understanding the policy process. In this article, we conceptualise policy preferences as latent constructs, which can be identified in an inductive way, based on actors’ choice of policy instruments and organisational structures. To inductively identify policy preferences, we take an approach based on principal component analysis, informed by theory on preference formation. Using water supply in Switzerland as a case study, we propose an approach based on policy preference spaces to identify preferences based on clusters of choices. Our results show the presence of three distinct policy preferences: 1) local management with regional support, 2) local autonomy, and 3) strong regional management with local financing autonomy. We investigate the factors affecting the formation of these policy preferences through a regression analysis. Our results indicate that preference formation is affected by actor types and, to a lesser degree, by goal priority. In this way, the article makes two distinct contributions to the field. The first is a methodological contribution, through its proposition for measuring and operationalising policy preferences; and the second is a theoretical contribution, in demonstrating how policy preferences are influenced by actor types and goal priority it highlights the context-dependent nature of policy preferences. Mehr anzeigen
Publikationsstatus
publishedExterne Links
Zeitschrift / Serie
Policy & PoliticsBand
Seiten / Artikelnummer
Verlag
Policy PressThema
policy preferences; policy process; political actors; policy instruments; organisational forms; Switzerland; water policy; principal component analysisOrganisationseinheit
08693 - Gruppe Natural Resource Policy / Natural Resource Policy
ETH Bibliographie
yes
Altmetrics