Global diffusion of COVID ‐19 policies: The role of geographic, institutional, and cultural cues

In an unprecedented global crisis, like the COVID‐19 pandemic, when vertical global governance plays a relatively minor role, government leaders must obtain policy information cues from other governments' behaviors horizontally. This study builds on the policy diffusion literature to examine the distinct role of geographic, cultural, and institutional peers in influencing a country's policy adoptions throughout a diffusion episode. We theorize that in the case of COVID‐19, policy‐culture fit enhances policy learning, leading cultural cues to exert a more pronounced diffusion influence than geographic and institutional cues over time. Our empirical analysis leverages worldwide data tracking the daily adoption of nine universal COVID‐19 non‐pharmaceutical policies from January 1, 2020 to June 1, 2021 in nearly 100 countries. We show that geographic and institutional proximity are initial sources of policy cues affecting adoption. But their effects fade over time while that of cultural cues grows in the later stage of a diffusion episode, illustrating the role of policy learning fueled by cultural fit. This research deepens our understanding of policy diffusion dynamics, shedding light on the role of national culture in policymaking and design in comparative policy studies.