In a context of accelerating societal transformations, governments are increasingly confronted with interdependent pressures, ranging from climate change and digitalization to economic restructuring and geopolitical instability. These dynamics place growing strain on existing governance arrangements and call for renewed attention to how public action is shaped, coordinated, and adapted over time.
This track examines how public actors respond to complexity, uncertainty, and conflict, in evolving policy dynamics, focusing on the processes through which policy problems are framed, solutions are developed, and interventions are implemented across different levels of governance. It highlights the non-linear and often contested nature of policy processes, emphasizing the role of institutions and sense-making in shaping trajectories and outcomes, with particular reference to the European Union and its member states.
The track welcomes contributions that explore mechanisms of policy change, learning, and adaptation, as well as broader developments in the study of public action and governance. Particular attention is devoted to issues of coordination across sectors and levels of government and the challenges of designing, implementing, and evaluating public interventions in complex environments.
Bringing together diverse theoretical and empirical perspectives, the track aims to foster dialogue on how governance systems evolve and how public action can remain effective, legitimate, and responsive in rapidly changing environments.
