The effect of the narrator is understudied in the Narrative Policy Framework. We offer a systematic approach that details narrator definition, features (proximity to audience), and functions (audience trust). Informed by Construal Level Theory, we conducted an exploratory study (n = 2268) that assigned proximal to distal narrator features (“your friend,” “your doctor,” “the CDC,” and a control “someone”) and affixed narrators to visual messages about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We investigated the extent to which proximity, trust, and congruence between narrator and narrative form predicts motivation to vaccinate. Narrator alone had no significant effect, but the proximal narrator paired with proximal characters in the policy message did have significant effects on motivation to vaccinate. Individual trust of distal narrators elicits affective responses, whereas individual trust of the proximal narrator is associated with motivation. These results suggest effects of narrator feature, characteristic, and function are dynamic and contextual.

This article examines how institutional governance mechanisms shape administrative policy design in risk-oriented, hierarchical public organizations, drawing on two cases from the Danish Armed Forces. The analysis shows how leader-centric governance, role segmentation, and compliance-oriented routines constrain collaborative process demands. These mechanisms restrict dialogue, limit upward communication and reflection, and reinforce established routines while resisting adaptation. Although such structures support operational clarity, they reduce responsiveness when extended into administrative policymaking. The study demonstrates how embedded governance logics and institutional routines condition the feasibility of collaborative policy design, even amid reform ambitions. It contributes to public administration and policy design scholarship by highlighting how hierarchical institutions govern internal policymaking and how institutionalized governance logics constrain adaptation, inclusion, and learning capacity.

This paper assesses the impact of federal grants for research and development (R&D) on state R&D investment in the United States. We find that federal grants for academic R&D do not significantly influence state allocations to academic institutions from 2006 to 2021. By contrast, R&D performed by agencies of the state government is estimated to grow by $0.35 with each additional dollar of federal support. We argue that these divergent results reflect the localized nature of benefits generated from R&D performed by state government agencies compared to university-based research. A computational text analysis of recent federal R&D awards to academic institutions and state agencies corroborates this hypothesis.

Individuals who particularly like or dislike a president or presidential candidate may, through a process of motivated reasoning, personally support or oppose the politician’s policy positions as a consequence. I examine the extent to which attitudes toward Donald Trump shaped public opinion on immigration policy, a case that appears to invite motivated reasoning. I estimate the influence of attitudes about Trump by comparing them directly to views of Barack Obama and trade policy using large reputable national surveys. I find a material, if limited, Trump effect. Trump polarized Americans on immigration considerably. However, the polarization was not along racial or ethnic lines. Moreover, any Trump effect on immigration appears not to have been as large as that he brought to bear on trade. Contrary to some recent work, such an effect also appears to have elevated immigration only marginally in the list of those deemed important.

The rational allocation of authority across government levels is crucial for the effective provision of environmental public goods. Based on China’s environmental policy texts (1973–2023) and case studies, this paper analyzes the division and adjustment of environmental governance powers. The findings reveal selective decentralization under the trend of centralization over the past fifty years in China’s environmental governance: (1) Legislative power has been conditionally devolved, to encourage distinctive local environmental legislation that is non-contradictory to central legislation; (2) Administrative power has transitioned from an ambiguous two-tier system to a three-category framework with attempts to quantify shared authorities. This recentralization aligns with the principle that national public goods are provided by the central government, while regional ones are supplied jointly; (3) Supervisory power has transitioned from local to vertical management, and its oversight has been elevated to a national initiative, receiving strong political endorsement.

Why and how should we tax inheritances, gifts, and bequests? This article examines the political theory debate on inheritance taxation and identifies four main arguments and three objections in favor of and against it. It reviews the most common forms of inheritance taxation in OECD countries and proposes an alternative: a lifetime capital accessions tax. This alternative is broadly delineated to compare it with the “average inheritance tax” and assess which of these two options better meets the requirements of the arguments and objections previously stated. The analysis shows that the capital accessions tax is normatively superior to the average inheritance tax. It better satisfies the reasons we have for taxing intergenerational wealth transfers and offers strong replies to three classical objections to inheritance taxation. Discussing the details of the accessions tax allows us to show how it can respond to popular objections to inheritance taxation and gain popular support.

Housing affordability presents a pressing global issue. While there is a growing need for more urban housing, implementation and regulation of housing densification is highly controversial, especially in Switzerland, where local referendums can delay urban development. The article examines residents’ acceptance of housing densification through a three-step research design, utilizing original experimental survey data and combining stated and experimental behavior with subgroup heterogeneity analysis from 3,497 residents across 162 Swiss cities and towns. Findings show acceptance of housing densification to be influenced by individuals’ relative housing costs, perceived neighborhood density, and political ideology; by social and ecological policy instruments; and between subgroups on socio-economic and ideological grounds. Ultimately, results highlight a broad coalition supporting densification to provide affordable housing and address ecological concerns, offering insights for policymakers. Studying residents’ opinions and behaviors within a direct democratic system and renters society further contributes to advancing theoretical understanding of housing politics.

Political and economic elites often warn that taxes on the rich impair economic growth. Although such warnings have a long tradition in elite discourse, what the public believes about the effects of progressive taxation remains surprisingly understudied. This omission limits our understanding of a basic democratic mechanism, the congruence of elite and public opinion. To close this gap, we employ a conjoint experiment during the 2021 German national election on a representative quota sample. Participants compare policy packages that entail changes in income, inheritance, and corporate taxes and evaluate their impact on equality and growth. We find no evidence that the public believes that progressive taxes promote equality at the expense of growth. Instead, participants believe that progressive taxes are doubly beneficial, promoting both outcomes. Furthermore, such beliefs do not vary by ideology or economic status. Our findings suggest a more consensual view of progressive taxation that emphasizes positive synergies between economic growth and greater equality.