The challenge of investigating policy mobilities, social learning and policy change in (global) urban studies: Methodological reflections

This paper proposes a reflection around the methodologies and methods which can be used to investigate how urban policy ideas travel around the world. In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, the increased circulation of knowledge and expertise and processes of emulation between urban elites have led to a wide diffusion of urban policy and planning ideas, models or techniques from one place to another. Such processes are, by nature, difficult to grasp, observe, track and follow. The establishment of causalities between processes of policy mobilities, social learning and policy change is a challenging task for urban studies scholars. The paper first takes stock of recent debates and developments in two (broad) sets of disciplinary fields:

i) urban geography, urban studies and planning studies, where there has been, in recent years, an increasing focus on the notions of ‘policy mobilities’ (Eugene McCann), urban learning (Colin McFarlane) and what Kevin Ward terms the need for ‘relational comparative’ research;

ii) the various approaches from political sociology, public policy, international relations and European studies which can be comprised under the broad label of ‘policy transfer studies’.

The paper reviews and assesses the research designs, methodologies and methods which have been used by various researchers to empirically investigate the causes, processes and outcomes of urban policy mobilities between cities as collective actors. The paper finally presents the mixed-method research design currently developed and tested by the author in the context of a European Union funded project entitled ‘Transboundary territorial cooperation, policy learning and the Europeanisation of urban and spatial planning policies in the Mediterranean area’. In the conclusion of the paper, future challenges for the investigation of urban policy mobilities in a global world are identified.