Understanding ripple effects : the cross-national adoption of policy instruments for bureaucratic accountability
By: BENNETT, Colin J
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ArticlePublisher: Malden : Wiley-Blackwell, July 1997Governance: An International Journal of Policy and Administration 10, 3, p. 213-233Abstract: This article examines different explanations for the crossnational diffusion of three recent innovations in bureaucratic accountabilitythe institution of the ombudsman, freedom of information legislation and data protection (information privacy) law. The first two explanations are based on the assumption that these innovations are byproducts of modernization, either the growth of the state or democratization. The third assumes that policy is shaped through processes of international communication. A combination of methodologies is employed to conclude that while the growth of government and liberal democratic values are necessary conditions for the adoption of all three policy instruments, they are not sufficient conditions. The pattern of adoption observed is best explained by examining how evidence about these respective policies flows from adopting states to nonadopters. In the case of the ombudsman, this process can be characterized as one of lessondrawing; for freedom of information, evidence is used for legitimation purposes; for data protection, the diffusion is attributable to harmonization through international organizations. Policy transfer is hence a multifaceted concept that embraces a number of distinct processes of transnational learning and communication.
This article examines different explanations for the crossnational diffusion of three recent innovations in bureaucratic accountabilitythe institution of the ombudsman, freedom of information legislation and data protection (information privacy) law. The first two explanations are based on the assumption that these innovations are byproducts of modernization, either the growth of the state or democratization. The third assumes that policy is shaped through processes of international communication. A combination of methodologies is employed to conclude that while the growth of government and liberal democratic values are necessary conditions for the adoption of all three policy instruments, they are not sufficient conditions. The pattern of adoption observed is best explained by examining how evidence about these respective policies flows from adopting states to nonadopters. In the case of the ombudsman, this process can be characterized as one of lessondrawing; for freedom of information, evidence is used for legitimation purposes; for data protection, the diffusion is attributable to harmonization through international organizations. Policy transfer is hence a multifaceted concept that embraces a number of distinct processes of transnational learning and communication.
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