Introducing Policy Noise: A Metric for Assessing Variability in Local Policy Implementation. An Example from Local Responses to Refugee Influx in Polish Municipalities
Introducing Policy Noise: A Metric for Assessing Variability in Local Policy Implementation. An Example from Local Responses to Refugee Influx in Polish Municipalities
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Authors
Igor Lyubashenko
Dominika Wojtowicz
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Date
2026-06-01
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International Review of Public Policy
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2
Volume
8
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ISSN
2679-3873
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2026-06-01
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Abstract EN
his paper introduces a novel methodological framework for measuring variability in local policy implementation using the concept of “policy noise.” While local authorities’ discretion in implementing national policies is widely recognized as both a potential source of innovation and a challenge for policy coordination, the field lacks systematic tools for quantifying this variation. We address this gap by developing a set-theory-based measurement approach that enables systematic comparison of local policy implementation across structurally equivalent administrative units. The methodology captures variation across three dimensions: agenda-setting, types of solutions implemented, and resource allocation. Designed to be descriptive rather than prescriptive, this approach provides a foundation for empirical analysis without imposing normative judgments about optimal levels of variation. Although we demonstrate the methodology through an analysis of Polish municipalities’ responses to Ukrainian refugee education needs in 2022, the framework is applicable across policy domains – including health, environment, and social services – in which local authorities exercise implementation discretion within centrally-established parameters. This measurement approach offers researchers a new tool for investigating the dynamics of local policy implementation, enabling systematic study of the relationships between institutional arrangements, implementation variation, and policy outcomes.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
policy Noise
metric
variability
evaluation
metric
variability
evaluation
Keywords other
Sustainable Development Goals
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Spójność czy przestrzeń dla eksperymentowania? Analiza reakcji politycznej Polski na kryzys migracyjny wywołany eskalacją rosyjskiej agresji na Ukrainę
Grant number
2022/45/B/HS5/00933
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