The last mile of policy design: the case of urban food waste intervention

Abstract

This study investigates the dynamics and challenges in the specification of policy design at the micro level, when broad policy issues are translated into specific interventions. By conducting an in-depth case study of urban initiative dealing with food waste in Warsaw, we unravel the complex process of translating policy objectives into action. Our findings have three points. First, the dynamics of micro-level design provide a broad space for policy designers to make decisions that reshape both the understanding of the policy problem and the change strategies used to address it. Second, policy design can be both engineering and bricolage. It results from changes in context, political considerations, research evidence, and institutional actors’ pragmatic decisions. Third, the Theory of Change can be used as canvas to guide designers through this dynamic process. Future research is recommended to generalize our findings across different contexts and explore the roles of diverse stakeholders in the policy design process.