Condemned to complexity? Growing state activity and complex policy systems

Does growing state activity inevitably lead to more complex policy systems? In this article, we offer a new, comprehensive approach that systematically differentiates between the size and complexity of portfolios answer question. Looking at data from 21 OECD countries over than three decades (1980–2015) in areas social environmental policy, find substantial variation portfolios. While larger is generally associated with complexity, relation still varies both time. Our finding suggests increasing not “natural given” but two major trends last decades—growing global political integration—provided very fertile ground fosters complexity. These findings have important implications for analyzing macro patterns 21st century.