Information as a land policy intervention: resolving conceptual ambiguities with a systematic characterization approach

Information-based instruments – core soft governance tools – are increasingly utilized in land policy. They remain, however, conceptually ambiguous and underdeveloped in literature, hampering systematic evaluation and comparability. We propose an analytical approach to characterize information-based land policy instruments and their use. Rooted in public policy literature, the approach relies on identifying three elements: instruments; their substantive versus procedural nature; and design choices (calibrations). We illustrate the approach by applying it to analyse how 14 Finnish municipalities use information-based land policy instruments to advance urban densification in the plan-implementation phase. Data draws on semi-structured expert interviews, websites, and land policy agendas. We observe 96 instances of instrument use, representing 6 distinct instruments with 29 different implementation modes. Instrument use typically combines substantive and procedural instruments and incorporates feedback possibilities. Municipalities vary especially in how proactively they use information-based instruments to advance densification. Features requiring scrutiny include narrow targeting, limited presence in land policy agendas, and irregular occurrence; together raising transparency and consistency concerns. By clarifying definitions and defining key variables, our approach reduces conceptual ambiguity and enables more systematic comparison and evaluation of information-based land policy instrument use.