Call for Papers: Comparative Policy Analysis at the Subnational Level: Methodological and Theoretical Challenges and Opportunities

DATE: June 22-23, 2023

HOST INSTITUTION:  McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University 

LOCATION: Montréal, Canada

While comparative policy analysis is dominated by research that compares different countries with one another, in recent decades we have witnessed a growing body of scholarship devoted to the comparative study of sub-national jurisdictions, within and across countries. This type of research is especially common in federal and devolved countries but comparative policy research on the role of local governments in unitary states is also increasingly prevalent, in an era where territorial government is high on the agenda of policymakers in a number of policy sub-systems.

In this proposed workshop, scholars from all over the work will gather scholars interested in the comparative analysis of public policy at the sub-national level. Themes discussed will include the methodological and theoretical challenges and opportunities stemming from comparative analysis focusing on subnational jurisdictions. Case studies will illustrate these challenges and opportunities while contributing to the broader field of comparative policy analysis.