IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/amposc/v54y2010i3p650-666.html

Who Learns from What in Policy Diffusion Processes?

Author

Listed:
  • Fabrizio Gilardi

Abstract

The idea that policy makers in different states or countries may learn from one another has fascinated scholars for a long time, but little systematic evidence has been produced so far. This article improves our understanding of this elusive argument by distinguishing between the policy and political consequences of reforms and by emphasizing the conditional nature of learning processes. Using a directed dyadic approach and multilevel methods, the analysis of unemployment benefits retrenchment in OECD countries demonstrates that policy makers learn selectively from the experience of others. Right governments tend to be more sensitive to information on the electoral consequences of reforms, while left governments are more likely to be influenced by their policy effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabrizio Gilardi, 2010. "Who Learns from What in Policy Diffusion Processes?," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(3), pages 650-666, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:54:y:2010:i:3:p:650-666
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00452.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00452.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00452.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Basinger, Scott J. & Hallerberg, Mark, 2004. "Remodeling the Competition for Capital: How Domestic Politics Erases the Race to the Bottom," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(2), pages 261-276, May.
    2. James P. Allan & Lyle Scruggs, 2004. "Political Partisanship and Welfare State Reform in Advanced Industrial Societies," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(3), pages 496-512, July.
    3. Elkins, Zachary & Guzman, Andrew T. & Simmons, Beth A., 2006. "Competing for Capital: The Diffusion of Bilateral Investment Treaties, 1960–2000," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 811-846, October.
    4. Morrow, James D. & Siverson, Randolph M. & Tabares, Tressa E., 1998. "The Political Determinants of International Trade: The Major Powers, 1907–1990," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 92(3), pages 649-661, September.
    5. Craig Volden, 2006. "States as Policy Laboratories: Emulating Success in the Children's Health Insurance Program," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(2), pages 294-312, April.
    6. Beck, Nathaniel & Katz, Jonathan N., 2001. "Throwing Out the Baby with the Bath Water: A Comment on Green, Kim, and Yoon," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(2), pages 487-495, April.
    7. Volden, Craig & Ting, Michael M. & Carpenter, Daniel P., 2008. "A Formal Model of Learning and Policy Diffusion," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 102(3), pages 319-332, August.
    8. Shor, Boris & Bafumi, Joseph & Keele, Luke & Park, David, 2007. "A Bayesian Multilevel Modeling Approach to Time-Series Cross-Sectional Data," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(2), pages 165-181, April.
    9. Swank,Duane, 2002. "Global Capital, Political Institutions, and Policy Change in Developed Welfare States," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521806688.
    10. repec:cup:apsrev:v:63:y:1969:i:03:p:880-899_25 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Meseguer, Covadonga, 2006. "Learning and economic policy choices," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 156-178, March.
    12. Charles R. Shipan & Craig Volden, 2008. "The Mechanisms of Policy Diffusion," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(4), pages 840-857, October.
    13. Lee, Chang Kil & Strang, David, 2006. "The International Diffusion of Public-Sector Downsizing: Network Emulation and Theory-Driven Learning," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 883-909, October.
    14. repec:cup:apsrev:v:67:y:1973:i:04:p:1174-1185_14 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Maoz, Zeev & Russett, Bruce, 1993. "Normative and Structural Causes of Democratic Peace, 1946–1986," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(3), pages 624-638, September.
    16. Erik Gartzke, 2007. "The Capitalist Peace," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(1), pages 166-191, January.
    17. Charles S. Taber & Milton Lodge, 2006. "Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(3), pages 755-769, July.
    18. Meseguer,Covadonga, 2009. "Learning, Policy Making, and Market Reforms," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521516969.
    19. Swank,Duane, 2002. "Global Capital, Political Institutions, and Policy Change in Developed Welfare States," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521001441.
    20. repec:cup:apsrev:v:63:y:1969:i:03:p:880-899_00 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. King, Gary, 2001. "Proper Nouns and Methodological Propriety: Pooling Dyads in International Relations Data," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(2), pages 497-507, April.
    22. Simmons, Beth A. & Elkins, Zachary, 2004. "The Globalization of Liberalization: Policy Diffusion in the International Political Economy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(1), pages 171-189, February.
    23. Berry, Frances Stokes & Berry, William D., 1990. "State Lottery Adoptions as Policy Innovations: An Event History Analysis," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 84(2), pages 395-415, June.
    24. Swank, Duane, 2006. "Tax Policy in an Era of Internationalization: Explaining the Spread of Neoliberalism," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 847-882, October.
    25. Oneal, John R. & Russett, Bruce, 2001. "Clear and Clean: The Fixed Effects of the Liberal Peace," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(2), pages 469-485, April.
    26. Simmons, Beth A. & Dobbin, Frank & Garrett, Geoffrey, 2006. "Introduction: The International Diffusion of Liberalism," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(4), pages 781-810, October.
    27. Hellwig, Timothy & Samuels, David, 2008. "Electoral Accountability and the Variety of Democratic Regimes," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 65-90, January.
    28. Henisz, Witold J, 2000. "The Institutional Environment for Multinational Investment," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(2), pages 334-364, October.
    29. repec:cup:apsrev:v:87:y:1993:i:03:p:624-638_27 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nathan M. Jensen Washington University, Rene Lindstadt, Trinity College Dublin, 2009. "Leaning Right and Learning from the Left: Diffusion of Corporate Tax Policy in the OECD," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp290, IIIS.
    2. Evan M. Mistur & John Wagner Givens & Daniel C. Matisoff, 2023. "Contagious COVID‐19 policies: Policy diffusion during times of crisis," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 40(1), pages 36-62, January.
    3. Felix Strebel & Thomas Widmer, 2012. "Visibility and facticity in policy diffusion: going beyond the prevailing binarity," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 45(4), pages 385-398, December.
    4. Arbolino, Roberta & Boffardi, Raffaele & Bonasia, Mariangela & Capasso, Salvatore & De Simone, Luisa, 2025. "Imitation or learning: Exploring the drivers of Special economic zones," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 456-466.
    5. Nadiya Kostyuk, 2024. "Allies and diffusion of state military cybercapacity," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 61(1), pages 44-58, January.
    6. Brady, David & Lee, Hang Young, 2014. "The rise and fall of government spending in affluent democracies, 1971-2008," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 24(1), pages 56-79.
    7. Torben Heinze, 2011. "Mechanism-Based Thinking on Policy Diffusion. A Review of Current Approaches in Political Science," KFG Working Papers p0034, Free University Berlin.
    8. Troeger, Vera & Plumper, Thomas, 2012. "Tax Competition and Income Inequality: Why did the Welfare State Survive?," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 83, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    9. Valente, Thomas W. & Pitts, Stephanie & Wipfli, Heather & Vega Yon, George G., 2019. "Network influences on policy implementation: Evidence from a global health treaty," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 188-197.
    10. Peter T. Leeson & Andrea M. Dean, 2009. "The Democratic Domino Theory: An Empirical Investigation," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(3), pages 533-551, July.
    11. Agnello, Luca & Castro, Vitor & Jalles, João Tovar & Sousa, Ricardo M., 2015. "What determines the likelihood of structural reforms?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 129-145.
    12. Strebel, Felix, 2011. "Inter-governmental institutions as promoters of energy policy diffusion in a federal setting," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 467-476, January.
    13. Fenton Villar, Paul, 2020. "The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and trust in politicians," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    14. Irene S. WU, 2014. "Diffusion of regulatory Policy Across Nations: The Example of Number Portability," Communications & Strategies, IDATE, Com&Strat dept., vol. 1(95), pages 111-132, 3rd quart.
    15. Baldwin, Elizabeth & Carley, Sanya & Nicholson-Crotty, Sean, 2019. "Why do countries emulate each others’ policies? A global study of renewable energy policy diffusion," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 29-45.
    16. Jun Xiang, 2017. "Dyadic Effects, Relevance, and the Empirical Assessment of the Kantian Peace," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 248-271, March.
    17. Charles R. Boehmer & Bernadette M.E. Jungblut & Richard J. Stoll, 2011. "Tradeoffs in Trade Data," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 28(2), pages 145-167, April.
    18. Yang, Ju-Ying, 2025. "Pathways to a sustainable energy future: A comparative case study of four Texas municipalities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    19. Peter John, 2018. "Theories of policy change and variation reconsidered: a prospectus for the political economy of public policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 51(1), pages 1-16, March.
    20. Suk Joon Hwang & Frances Berry, 2019. "Deterring Drunk Driving: Why Some States Go Further Than Others in Policy Innovation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:54:y:2010:i:3:p:650-666. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1540-5907 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.