Policy integration from a practice-theoretical perspective: integrated food policy in the making in two German cities

Policy integration (PI) is needed for sustainable food system transformation. But PI is challenging, especially at the local level, where actors only begin to develop food policies and food-related discourses and institutions are only emerging. How does PI unfold in such contexts? In this paper, we employ a practice-theoretical perspective to analyze the early phase of food-related PI in two medium-sized cities in southern Germany to find answers to this question. Based on participant observation and interviews, we analyze how three dimensions of practice – doings, sayings and things – relate to the (dis-)integration of policy problems, goals and means. We find that practice dimensions play an important role in the shaping of integrative and disintegrative policymaking dynamics. We conclude that a practice-theoretical perspective on PI is an important complement to policy integration research as it allows for early identification of practical potentials and obstacles to integrated food policymaking.