International knowledge transfer and Russian social policy: The case of gender mainstreaming

Abstract

In the course of their transition to a market economy, the importance of international knowledge transfer from developed capitalist countries to the post-Soviet states has increased. However, the question of what particular knowledge has been transferred and why in some cases knowledge transfer has been successful, while in others it has failed, remains under-researched. Using gender mainstreaming as an example, the mechanisms of international knowledge transfer in Russian social policy are discussed in detail. The authors argue that specific knowledge transfer could facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge, but its sustainable application in social policy decision-making might be problematic, requiring commitment of political actors as well as supportive institutional conditions.