The limits of multidimensional policy design: how research environments collapse into unified perceptions of early-stage researchers

This study examines whether analytically differentiated research policy architectures are reflected in how institutional environments are experienced within higher education institutions (HEIs) and research-performing organizations (RPOs). Using the European Charter for Researchers as a structured case, the paper investigates the relationship between policy differentiation and perceptual structure. Drawing on survey data from early-stage researchers (N = 261) across HEIs and RPOs in Widening countries of the European Research Area, and applying CFA, higher-order CFA, bifactor modelling, and ESEM, the findings reveal a consistent pattern. Although the Charter's four pillars are empirically distinguishable, they are not experienced as separate domains. Instead, perceptions are dominated by a general evaluative dimension integrating recruitment, working conditions, assessment practices, and career development into a unified perception of the research environment. The study introduces the concept of perceptual policy integration, showing that analytically differentiated policy frameworks collapse into integrated evaluative structures at the level of lived experience. The findings suggest that improvements within isolated policy domains are unlikely to be perceived as meaningful unless accompanied by institutional coherence. Theoretically, the study contributes to institutional theory, policy implementation, and organisational climate scholarship by demonstrating that governance fragmentation may fail at the level of implementation and perception.