Policy diffusion in unlikely places: between emulation and coercion in northern Cyprus

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article utilizes policy diffusion theory to understand the policy processes in de facto states, specifically, to investigate policy-making in the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),’ examining whether policies diffused to the ‘TRNC’ and which mechanisms are responsible for diffusion. Although one might expect that lack of recognition limits the diffusion of policies to de facto states, the findings suggest that the ‘TRNC’ has been quite susceptible to diffusion, albeit the source of diffusion is largely restricted to a single state, which is the patron state. The article also shows that policy diffusion often happens through the logic of emulation and coercion and, less so, through learning and competition. This means that the policy diffusion theory can apply to de facto states, but it also creates a question mark about the latter’s political independence from their patron states, which undermines their claim of independence.