Policy Diffusion and Policy Transfer in Comparative Welfare State Research

Abstract

For many years, comparative welfare state research has followed a 'methodological nationalism' in the sense that countries were treated as independent units. Yet the recent 'spatial turn' in comparative politics has also influenced welfare state research. For some years now, the field has been witnessing a growing interest in questions about interdependencies and policy diffusion between countries. In this article, we provide a structured overview of the state of the art in the policy diffusion and transfer literature that deals specifically with social policy. We present and critically evaluate existing theoretical concepts and quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches that enable the analysis of interdependencies between countries. Moreover, we summarize the empirical findings of quantitative and qualitative studies on the diffusion and transfer of social policy, from some pioneering studies to the latest findings. Against this background we point out what we believe to be promising avenues for future research. We focus on five areas: theoretical work on the mechanisms underlying diffusion and transfer; methodological approaches; the impact of domestic institutions and policy characteristics on social policy diffusion and transfer; programme-specific dynamics; and the systematic combination of horizontal and vertical interdependencies.

Enter the Troika: The Politics of Social Security during Ireland's Bailout

“…The IMF's insistence on conditionality as part of its loan agreements is well documented and Ireland's experience offers a potential example of policy 'coercion' (Obinger et al, 2013). However, the presence of the Troika arguably presented the Irish government with tremendous scope for 'blame avoidance' in imposing austerity (Pierson, 1994).…”

Basic Income in Our Time: Improving Political Prospects Through Policy Learning?

“…Furthermore, the same questions about effects on poverty and inequality that concern critics of the Alaska dividend such as Zelleke (2012) appear in the case of the Iranian cash transfer. 14 A full explanatory account of the political prospects of basic income must adopt a systematic comparative politics approach (Obinger et al, 2012). One option would be to consider how different welfare regimes structure the political opportunities for instituting a basic income (Goodin, 2001).…”

Exploring the Combinations of Conditions Affecting the Successful ODA Projects to Developing Countries

“…Although definitions vary, policy transfer is widely understood as 'a process by which knowledge of policies, administrative arrangements, institutions and ideas in one political system (past or present)' is used in the development of similar features in one political system (Dolowitz, 2000: 3;Benson and Jordan, 2011: 366). The policy transfer literature builds on previous work concerning lesson drawing (Greener, 2002;Rose, 1991Rose, , 1993 while policy diffusion literature often refers to quantitative work on the diffusion of innovations and program adoption (Coleman et al, 1966;Walker, 1969;Collier and Messick, 1975;Rogers, 1995;Obinger et al, 2013). This article focuses primarily on policy transfer, since l ODA projects are more closely related to this.…”