Ambiguously Divided Responsibilities across Government Spheres: How they Impact the Policy Process and Result in Coordination Problems in Poland
Ambiguously Divided Responsibilities across Government Spheres: How they Impact the Policy Process and Result in Coordination Problems in Poland

Summary/Abstract: Empirical studies in decentralized settings associate ambiguities in the division of responsibilities between government spheres with coordination problems. This study explores the mechanisms behind this association, mainly drawing on in-depth interviews with local government officials in Poland. A typology emerges from the data. Ambiguities can refer to the policy content, but also to the rationale behind responsibilities. They may be real or perceived. The agent who perceives the ambiguities can be close to public administration (internal) or further removed from it (external). External ambiguities mostly inhibit front-room stages of the policy cycle, while external ambiguities impede back-room stages. Through different paths, they contribute to tensions between government spheres, obstructing cooperation needed to address the ambiguities. Overall, the article contributes to a better understanding of the policy process in decentralized settings, unwraps the dynamic causal framework surrounding the ambiguities, and highlights the role of perceptions, not only by the electorate, but by public officials in particular.

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