Policy learning and policy innovation: interactions and intersections

Abstract

The links between policy learning and policy innovation seem self-evident. Yet these areas of scholarship have developed independently of each other. The articles in this special issue all address some aspect of the learning/innovation relationship. This introduction sets the scene by reviewing how innovation intersects with studies of policy learning. To do this, we explore the three key dimensions which characterise policy innovation, as defined by Sørensen (2016), and its relationship with learning: political leadership, competition, and collaboration. Viewed through a learning lens, we discern the interactions between these elements, and how they link forms of learning to innovative policy. Finally, through the lens of this learning/innovation framework, we summarise the contributions of the six articles and propose a future research agenda.