Accounting for Culture in Policy Transfer: A Blueprint for Research and Practice. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bertram, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Political studies review. Volume 20:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 83
• Page End: 100
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: culture -- policy transfer -- policy translation -- institutional bricolage -- cultural analysis; Political science -- Book reviews -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1177/1478929920965352
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1478-9299

Abstract

In recent years, the burgeoning literature on transnational dissemination of policies has moved beyond orthodox models to incorporate the institutional context by means of social-constructivist approaches. This article engages in a critical review of the status quo by arguing for the importance of an overlooked key variable in policy transfer research: culture. Particularly, it is contended that culture plays an under-acknowledged role in co-shaping transfer dynamics both as a dependent and as an independent variable and consequently deserves a more thorough embedment in mainstream research. To this end, operational recommendations for how future studies can measure, incorporate, and isolate cultural factors are offered and a feasible research agenda is proposed.