European cities are increasingly facing social challenges that national governments struggle to address, such as housing crises, rising living costs, and job precarity. In this context, cities have emerged as key institutional actors in public policy innovation. In 2017, a basic income-inspired policy innovation (PI) emerged in local social policy context, characterized by its unconditionality and continuity. This study analyzes the development of this PI through a comparative case study of Barcelona and Utrecht, where similar innovations arose in different political and institutional contexts. Using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, we identify two main drivers of this innovation: a historical involvement in European municipalist networks and a radical shift in local government, aligning municipalist agendas with EU opportunities in local policymaking. By applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) within a Multilevel Reinforcing Dynamics (MRD) context, we highlight the agency of public officials and the strategic role of science and expertise in fostering local policy innovation.

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municipalism,policy innovation,advocacy coalitions framework in the context of Multilevel reinforcing dynamics

• Political Science - Social Sciences