Political Science & Policy Research

Politics relies on scientific findings to solve social problems. However, the ways in which science and politics function differ fundamentally, which makes cooperation difficult. In our research, we investigate systems of scientific policy advice and factors that promote and hinder the use of scientific knowledge in the policy-making process. In particular, Dr. Caroline Schlaufer and Dr. Johanna Hornung are investigating this topic in the health sector as part of the Ethics and Policy Lab and the project “Comparing the crisis resilience of national policy advisory systems during Covid-19” of the MCID of the University of Bern.

Policy narratives can be used to investigate policy debates empirically. Narratives are a central element of human cognition and communication. They are a kind of story that enables us to bring order and structure to a complex subject area.

Policy actors use narratives strategically, for example to emphasize their preferences in a political debate. In policy research, narratives are used to systematically examine policy-making processes.

Research at the Competence Center for Public Management focuses in particular on the role of policy narratives in Swiss child and adult protection (research by Bettina Stauffer as part of NRP76) and the political use of scientific evidence in narratives (research by Dr. Caroline Schlaufer).

Political governance takes place with the help of instruments, which political science classifies into different typologies. Instruments can take the form of hierarchical requirements (prohibitions or obligations), create incentives, or provide information to achieve a desired change in behavior among the population.

The KPM researches explanatory factors for the decision for and use of certain policy instruments, their effect on the achievement of objectives and their long-term influence. Current projects are focusing on this question, particularly with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project “Compliance with National COVID-19 Responses and Measures (CoWiNaCo)”, led by Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager, Dr. Jörn Ege, Dr. Susanne Hadorn and Dr. Anna Malandrino, examines the factors that lead to both compliance and non-compliance with COVID-19 countermeasures from a comparative perspective. In addition to the sometimes commissioned evaluation of policy instruments (see policy evaluation) and at the interface with the research focus “Science and Policy”, there is a particular scientific interest in the conditions under which policy instruments are designed in an evidence-based manner on the basis of known and anticipated mechanisms of action and the extent to which the choice of policy design is both influenced by institutional factors and produces different effects under varying institutional factors. In terms of content, this research is particularly located in the area of health policy, which is represented as a research focus by Dr. Susanne Hadorn and Dr. Johanna Hornung and in which Lisa Asticher's doctoral thesis is also located

Once political decision-makers have adopted public policies, they must be implemented in order to achieve the desired effect. Research in the field of policy implementation deals with various aspects of this implementation process and the reasons for different results of implementation. In Switzerland, implementation federalism, i.e. the implementation of federal law by the cantons, taking into account the particularities of each canton, is a core characteristic of the federal system. Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager's team focuses on this area of research. Another important area of implementation research is the analysis of various implementation arrangements, such as networks of state and non-state actors who jointly implement public policies. This topic is dealt with by Dr. Susanne Hadorn, among others.

The aim of public policies is to solve or at least reduce social problems. This is only possible if the effects on the policy addressees, or in other words, the planned changes in the behavior of those causing the problems, are achieved as intended by the political decision-makers. Policy evaluation is the transparent assessment of public policies and their effects based on scientific standards. It thus enables the targeted management and evidence-based adjustment of government interventions.

In this area, the KPM has many years of experience in conducting evaluations in a wide range of areas such as health, transport and migration policy, particularly on behalf of the federal government and cantons. On the other hand, the CPM conducts research in the field of policy evaluation on topics such as the use of evaluation results in the context of direct democratic processes (in particular Dr. Caroline Schlaufer) and the independence of evaluations (Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager and Dr. Susanne Hadorn). Both topics are highly relevant to practice, as the research findings can be used to improve evaluation processes and to use the knowledge gained in a more targeted way to shape effective public policy.