Policy integration, policy design and administrative capacities. Evidence from EU cohesion policy

Although policy integration research has been burgeoning over the past decade, numerous blank spots exist in our understanding of the rationale, the policy-making implications and implementation challenges of integrated policy designs. This study aims at improving our knowledge in this field by reflecting on the relevance of administrative capacities for the development and implementation of integrated policies. Based on an in-depth analysis of the implementation of European Union (EU) policies for sustainable urban development in two meso-level authorities (Scotland and Veneto), evidence is provided that both administrations have introduced a range of capacity-building provisions in order to enable the replacement of sectoral policies with a comprehensive integrated strategy. However, the specific policy and governance settings designed with the purpose of enhancing administrative capacities differed significantly between the two contexts, largely depending on public administrations’ strategies and on the salience of EU policies in the respective political arenas