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In its rational, organisational, historical and discursive varieties, the new institutionalism research agenda is arguably the most successful paradigm in comparative politics and public policy analysis. However, neo-institutional practice applied to comparative policy analysis reveals four pitfalls, that is, 'institutional determinism', 'drop in the box', 'second best residual explanations' and 'theoretical conjectures without foundational mechanisms'. We illustrate and examine the pitfalls and consider the conceptual and methodological implications for the comparative analysis of policies. In the conclusion, we present options for rescuing institutional analysis from bad practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing the cases of Bordeaux and Genoa, this article shows how and why similar inputs from the European Union (EU) produce different sets of policy transformations within urban systems. Empirically, we focus on the common policy initiative URBAN II—promoted by the EU within its informal urban policy. To separate out similarities and differences we address two research questions: how do EU inputs from URBAN II produce coping and adjusting mechanisms at the level of cities? What is the character of the transformation eventually produced? The former question is about the mechanisms of Europeanization; the latter is about the nature of the process. To frame our analysis we draw on public policy analysis and institutional theory, particularly in terms of logics of action and causal mechanisms for change. Evidence from in-depth interviews and process tracing suggest that differences largely depend on past traditions and arrangements in the policy sector considered and on the strategic role of specific actors at the local level. Similarities reflect instead the common attempt of cities to promote their territory and the role of urban systems in the EU-wide policy making as well as the reaction to the constraints accompanying EU action at the urban level. In the conclusions, we show how our findings contribute to the field of Europeanization and propose avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]