Urban agendas around the world: A case of policy transfer? An analysis proposal

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present article addresses the issue of policy transfer. Three public policy tools (the New Urban Agenda, the Urban Agenda for the European Union and the Spanish Urban Agenda) were analyzed. The objective was to develop an analytical framework allowing to examine these public policy tools and to understand the extent and nature of the policy transfer, as well as its underlying mechanisms. Our preliminary analysis indicated a certain degree of policy transfer between agendas. Some divergences were found, however, that could be explained by several factors: the social, economic, and political context in which the agenda was launched; previous experience; and the formal ability of the government level promoting the agenda to influence certain issues. According to our findings, the issue needs to be addressed through extensive methodologies that allow drawing empirical generalizations on the extent to which the characteristics indicated in this first work shape policy transfer. In this way, it will be possible to determine the degree, the nature, and the underlying mechanisms of policy transfer between urban agendas.