| Abstract [eng] |
This thesis examines which causal mechanism best explains minor policy change in a unitary subsystem after a crisis. The case analysed is the reform establishing the Reception and Integration Agency following the 2021 migration crisis. Drawing on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and policy learning literature, the thesis distinguishes between two alternative explanations of minor change in unitary subsystems: a crisis neutralisation causal mechanism, in which the dominant coalition responds to public and media pressure by attempting to tone down the political implications of the crisis, and a learning causal mechanism, in which the crisis is interpreted as revealing gaps in the existing system, thereby initiating a process of system improvement. The research is conducted as a case study, with theory-testing process tracing serving as the main methodological approach. Within this framework, qualitative content analysis of media coverage and parliamentary transcripts, as well as expert interviews and document analysis, are employed. The empirical analysis revealed that, in the case of the Reception and Integration Agency, the learning causal mechanism did in fact operate. During the crisis stabilisation stage, the dominant coalition institutionally recognised the shortcomings of the system, initiated an expert evaluation of the system and an interinstitutional negotiation process, which ultimately resulted in the decision to centralise migrant reception functions within a single institution. Therefore, the reform and, correspondingly, policy change in the unitary subsystem, is best explained by the causal mechanism of (instrumental) learning. |
