Assessing ‘Functional coherence’ for transformation: understanding actor roles and responsibilities in land use policies in Scotland

Policy coherence is considered useful for encouraging holistic and joined-up approaches to policy, which are needed to help address the climate and biodiversity crises through land use transformations. However, there remains limited understanding of how policy coherence may occur in practice, particularly in terms of coherence between actors involved in achieving policy objectives. We address this gap through an analysis of ‘functional coherence’ – clear definition and allocation of roles and responsibilities to multiple relevant actors involved in achieving policy objectives. To do this, we reviewed policy documents for 66 Scottish Government policies associated with land use transformations (1994-2024) to assess: i) inclusion of multiple actors in achieving policy objectives; ii) clarity of how roles and responsibilities are defined; and iii) opportunities for coordination. We find that there are very many actors involved in achieving the objectives of these policies, and that in some cases roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. We also identify concentrations of actors associated with particular policies, and vice versa. This indicates a strong foundation for functional coherence, and highlights opportunities and needs for coordination. However, we also identify gaps in the allocation of roles and responsibilities, issues of unclear definition and no acknowledgement of confusion, conflict, or limitations of actors in fulfilling what is expected of them. We suggest functional coherence may be supported through proactive facilitation by a coordinating body, as well as clearer allocation of roles and responsibilities to ground-level actors, and systematic monitoring of coherence and its outcomes.