Weyland, Kurt. (2005). "Theories of Policy Diffusion: Lessons from Latin American Pension Reform". World Politics, 57, 262-285.
“In sum, the present article asks what drives waves of diffusion most—foreign pressures, symbolic and normative imitation, rational learning, or cognitive heuristics” (263).
The questions asked by this article have broader theoretical implications, specifically on questions surrounding bounded rationality. The article wonders whether or not pension policies in
The article examines idea diffusion as a s-curve. It also claims that idea diffusion has a geographical feature: clustering. Finally, it argues that diffusion proceeds in distinct waves.
An interesting figure (Figure 2) on 269 highlights the different levels of analysis that this issue encompasses. At the top, there is external pressure (IOs). In the middle, there is a “quest for legitimacy”, which is seen a a mid-level approach. At the bottom, there is rational learning and cognitive heuristics.
External Pressure: Has difficulty explaining geographic clustering. It also has problems explaining initial diffusion of ideas. Also, empirical data shows that compliance with IFIs is quite weak.
Normative Imitation: Here, countries adapt because they have internalized international norms. They adopt new policies because their preferences have changed. Weyland argues that this approach posits a large initial diffusion of ideas, which is not in line with the s-curve approach. “In sum, the general validity of the normative imitation approach is questionable, especially for the analysis of redistributive policies” (278).
Rational Learning: “…this framework confronts great difficulties in accounting for the three characteristics of diffusion. Above all, commonality in diversity poses a serious puzzle for rational choice” (279). Why would ideas cluster if actors are looking globally for policy inspiration?
Cognitive Heuristics: “…cognitive heuristics framework sees diffusion result from goal-orientated activities driven largely by actor interests” (281). However, this approach differs from rational learning in they methods that actors use to pursue their goals. “…cognitive0-psychological theories start from the robust empirical finding that human rationality is inherently bounded by innate, insuperable limitations on information processing and memory capacity” (282). Three heuristics are examined: availability, representativeness and anchoring. Availability: people witness a car crash and slow down. Representativeness: overestimation of trends from limited data. Anchoring: how do you adapt a model for your needs? These three heuristic approaches, “…provide a good explanation for the basic features of diffusion, namely, its geographical clustering, its s-shaped temporal unfolding, and its substantive characteristic of creating commonality in diversity” (285).
