There has been revived scholarly interest in policy capacity recently. While it is widely assumed that capacity is important for policy performance, it is difficult to separate its impact from the effect of policy instruments to establish whether capacity can produce an independent and positive effect on target group behavior in relation to achieving policy objectives. Undertaking a critical case study where policy performed well despite the use of weak policy instruments, this paper analyzes whether policy capacity can have a positive independent impact on policy performance. The Danish program to increase the proportion of organic food served in public sector kitchens demonstrates that policy capacity can independently influence policy performance. It can compensate for the weakness of soft and indirect policy instruments and bring about policy performance that goes beyond what can be expected, given the limited ability of the instruments to stimulate behavioral change. A high level of capacity was achieved by drawing on resources possessed by interest groups. While interest groups’ and other private actors’ positive contribution to policy capacity is recognized, only a limited number of studies have analyzed how such actors contribute to capacity generation. Therefore, this paper applies a sectoral perspective in which policy capacity is understood as the ability to pool and coordinate relevant resources available within a policy sector.

最近，学术界对政策能力的兴趣重新燃起。虽然人们普遍认为能力对政策绩效很重要，但很难将其影响与政策工具的影响区分开来，以确定能力是否可以对与实现政策目标相关的目标群体行为产生独立和积极的影响。本文通过一个关键案例研究，尽管使用了薄弱的政策工具，但政策表现良好，本文分析了政策能力是否可以对政策绩效产生积极的独立影响。丹麦增加公共部门厨房有机食品比例的计划表明，政策能力可以独立影响政策绩效。鉴于工具刺激行为改变的能力有限，它可以弥补软性和间接政策工具的弱点，并带来超出预期的政策绩效。通过利用利益集团拥有的资源，实现了高水平的能力。虽然利益集团和其他私人行为者对政策能力的积极贡献得到承认，但只有少数研究分析了这些行为者如何为能力建设做出贡献。因此，本文采用部门视角，将政策能力理解为汇集和协调政策部门内可用相关资源的能力。通过利用利益集团拥有的资源，实现了高水平的能力。虽然利益集团和其他私人行为者对政策能力的积极贡献得到承认，但只有少数研究分析了这些行为者如何为能力建设做出贡献。因此，本文采用部门视角，将政策能力理解为汇集和协调政策部门内可用相关资源的能力。通过利用利益集团拥有的资源，实现了高水平的能力。虽然利益集团和其他私人行为者对政策能力的积极贡献得到承认，但只有少数研究分析了这些行为者如何为能力建设做出贡献。因此，本文采用部门视角，将政策能力理解为汇集和协调政策部门内可用相关资源的能力。