Are great expectations in Bonn and Berlin dashed in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wuerttemberg? Findings from a content analysis and a QCA of 30 case studies on the implementation of the German federal immission control law / Werden die großen Erw

Guided by an analytical framework consisting of standard explanatory variables and non-standard ones like intensive negotiation processes of give-and-take, we strive to explain implementation failures and successes in the German immission control law field. Based on a thorough content analysis and a Crisp-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA) of 30 cases, we conclude that the failure and success of the implementation are explained by different combinations of explanatory variables. All in all, as one finding, the explanatory power of negotiations is underscored. Moreover, variables like a measure’s lack of technical feasibility contribute to explaining implementation deficits. In contrast, implementation success is furthered by a combination of non-discretionary legal provisions, non-redistributive policies, and an integrated structure of public administration. If discretion is given and redistributive policies are to be implemented, highly intensive negotiation processes can help to achieve implementation success. The research contributes to implementation and compliance research and, to a lesser extent, to the street-level bureaucracy literature.