Subnational Comparative Policy Analysis: Institutions, Methodology, and Research Agenda

Abstract

Comparative policy analysis remains dominated by comparisons between countries that focus on the national rather than the subnational level. Yet, it is clear that much can be learned by comparing subnational units within and between countries, and comparative policy analysis scholarship focusing on the subnational level is clearly expanding, even if challenges remain. In this introductory article, we discuss the nature of Subnational Comparative Policy Analysis (SCPA) and we raise key institutional and methodological points that scholars in this area could find useful for their own comparative subnational policy research. This discussion leads to an overview of the present special issue and a brief agenda for future research in SCPA.