Policy Transfer Framework Research Articles

Efficient Bayesian Policy Reuse With a Scalable Observation Model in Deep Reinforcement Learning.

Bayesian policy reuse (BPR) is a general policy transfer framework for selecting a source policy from an offline library by inferring the task belief based on some observation signals and a trained observation model. In this article, we propose an improved BPR method to achieve more efficient policy transfer in deep reinforcement learning (DRL). First, most BPR algorithms use the episodic return as the observation signal that contains limited information and cannot be obtained until the end of an episode. Instead, we employ the state transition sample, which is informative and instantaneous, as the observation signal for faster and more accurate task inference. Second, BPR algorithms usually require numerous samples to estimate the probability distribution of the tabular-based observation model, which may be expensive and even infeasible to learn and maintain, especially when using the state transition sample as the signal. Hence, we propose a scalable observation model based on fitting state transition functions of source tasks from only a small number of samples, which can generalize to any signals observed in the target task. Moreover, we extend the offline-mode BPR to the continual learning setting by expanding the scalable observation model in a plug-and-play fashion, which can avoid negative transfer when faced with new unknown tasks. Experimental results show that our method can consistently facilitate faster and more efficient policy transfer.

Policy transfer and policy experimentation in China: the case of state-sponsored student loans

ABSTRACT As part of efforts to mass higher education, China introduced state-sponsored student loans around the turn of the century, a progressive social policy reflecting the country’s move toward increased marketization and decentralization in delivering educational services. The loan scheme, open to low-income students, is a voluntary policy transfer that draws on lessons from abroad. Unexpectedly, it stalled soon after implementation. Subsequent local experimentation brought it back on track. This article uses the Dolowitz and Marsh policy transfer framework to identify and explain the unsuccessful transfer. It also uses Heilmann’s model to examine the local experimentation that brought about institutional change nationwide. The article argues that policy transfer, in conjunction with policy experimentation, provides practical frameworks for capturing the subtleties of China’s hierarchical governance and the different complications experienced throughout the policy process. The article thus contributes to the integration of policy transfer and experimentation as a broader toolbox for policy analysis.

Comparative Transfer Analysis: Policy Instruments, Space and Time

With the growth of globalization, comparative policy analysis became increasingly challenging. The contemporary transnational nature of public policymaking processes, which encompasses policies, fundings, individuals, and organizations crossing borders, with its instruments and ideas, extends the logic of territorially circumscribed phenomena. Understanding these movements lies at the core of the fast-growing field of analysis: policy transfer, diffusion, mobilities, and circulation. The purpose of this Special Issue is to broaden and deepen the debate on the transnational circulation of policy models from a comparative perspective. This Special Issue proposes a comparative strategy of analysis for policy transfer that considers three elements: policy instruments, policy transfer spaces, and time. These elements are presented in detail in this introduction, providing an innovative perspective, updating and expanding the classical policy transfer framework posited by Dolowitz and Marsh over two decades ago. This Special Issue brings together original research articles, prepared by diverse group of authors from different regions around the world (from both Global North and South).

Policy Transfer Framework in the Environmental Governance of Non-EU and EU Member Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia

This study offers a comprehensive examination of environmental governance within the European Union (EU), focusing on the comparative experiences of Bosnia and Herzegovina (a non-EU member) and Croatia (an EU member). The research uses policy transfer theory to investigate the practicality and effectiveness of EU-led environmental initiatives when implemented at state and local levels. The study reveals a disconnect between these initiatives and their execution, with corruption and fragile political arrangements identified as significant barriers to environmental protection. The research further underscores the complex nature of EU-driven environmental governance policies and the impact of post-war political agreements and transitional struggles on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s and Croatia’s governance structures. The methodology involves a detailed analysis of the legal frameworks, policies, and plans employed by the EU and the countries under study. The results highlight the importance of context and capacity in evaluating the effectiveness of environmental governance. The study contributes to understanding environmental governance in the EU context and provides insights into the challenges and opportunities for policy transfer to state-level governments.

Exploring educational policy transfer: A structure–agency perspective

AbstractThis study presents some of the current methodological issues regarding the analysis and comprehension of educational policy transfer, with particular emphasis on the issue of structure and agency. It suggests some shortcomings of current educational policy transfer research in dealing with the complex interaction between structure and agency. To fill those voids, drawing from Archer's morphogenetic approach in educational policy transfer, an alternative framework of educational policy transfer is presented. A case from the author's current research on China's interest in Japanese vocational education during the late Qing Dynasty is given to explain the usage of this new interpretive framework. It is hoped that this new conceptual framework will aid in analysing educational policy transfer and open up a new methodological and theoretical space for future educational policy transfer research.

"What Makes Education Policy Transfer Successful? The Case of the National Assessment and Examination Center of Georgia "

In education policymaking, policy transfer can be seen as one of the practical tools. The cons and pros of the process are clearly manifested in post-socialist countries where the education system started to change fundamentally after regaining independence in line with increased interest from donor organizations. The article deals with the process of education policy transfer based on the case of the National Assessment and Examination Center of Georgia. The proposed orthodox framework of policy transfer and data analysis allows us to draw main conclusions to answer the research question: what makes education policy transfer successful? Besides hindering factors, such as challenging socio-cultural environment and vertical administration of the education system, there are some facilitating factors: continuous political support, a motivated team that knows how to build organizational culture, communicate effectively with all stakeholders, feels the local context, and tries to establish foreign policy transfer networks. These key determinants can make education policy transfer successful. The methodological approach and conclusions of the article can be used by scholars from post-socialist education research and beyond who are interested in determining the causes and results of education policy transfer.

Policy transfer and health policymaking process: The case of social health insurance in Ghana

Since the introduction of the user fee system of healthcare financing in 1969 and its subsequent modifications, the burden of healthcare expenditure on residents of Ghana created health inequality. This system encouraged the poor and vulnerable to have limited access to essential drugs and services. Policy entrepreneurs contributed to raising awareness about the poor and vulnerable people in Ghana not having access to health due to the user fee system as a public policy problem. This awareness began to spread among political leaders, the masses, and professional groups, warranting the attention of policymakers. As significant public dissatisfaction and agitation against the user fee policy continued, the media continued to hold the government responsible for initiating the policy. The democratization process and election period between 1998 and 2000 provided a window of opportunity that led to the idea of health policy change. In 2003, Ghana established the National Social Health Insurance, a form of Social Health Insurance. This study examines the process of establishing the social health insurance scheme through policy transfer framework. First, the paper examines Ghana’s health policy after independence, the National Health Service, and the User Fee Policy that was implemented in 1985. Second, the paper accessed the policy transfer framework and applied it to the transfer of social health insurance. Third, the paper explains the radical change from the user fee policy to the social health insurance model. This essay uses time series analysis and comparative analysis to assess the impact of the social health insurance on the under-five mortality ratio, maternal mortality ratio and out-of-pocket expenditure. The assessment results show that the social health insurance scheme has a positive impact on under-five mortality, maternal mortality and out-of-pocket payment compared to Nigeria without social health insurance for the poor and other vulnerable groups. The paper concludes that policy transfer alone cannot be a single variable to explain radical health policy change, but when combined with other complementary perspectives, an empirically grounded account of policy change can be developed.

New directions in conditional policy transfer to sub-Saharan Africa: the case of renewable energy policy transfer to ECOWAS by the EU

ABSTRACT This article applies the policy transfer framework and the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to examine the transfer of renewable energy policy to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by the European Union (EU). The transfer of policy to ECOWAS was shaped by an asymmetrical power dynamic, the use of conditionality and narratives of allyship. I argue that the EU’s conditional policy transfer obstructs domestic policymaking in West Africa, and that its narrative of allyship is undermined by the focus on economic strength. Applying the policy transfer lens to the EU’s conditionality helps to position the engagement as coercive and to examine the recipient’s response to external interference.

Recipe for The Global Plate

Low Indonesian culinary exports indicate that Indonesian cuisine is not well-known internationally. Culinary promotes national identity, multiethnic cultures, and tourism. On the other hand, tourism exposes local culinary practices and can become a country's international brand. Furthermore, culinary relevance to public diplomacy is recognized. Through these connections, Indonesia can utilize gastro diplomacy to capture the global culinary arts market. Indonesia can learn from Thailand and South Korea how to implement the program more effectively by using the policy transfer framework. Thailand programs addressed various elements that must be developed when opening an overseas culinary arts business. They involved governmental and non-governmental agencies because the programs are board. The South Korean program was more formalized than the Thai programs by enacting a specific law and establishing a distinct organization to oversee the program’s execution. In addition to the healthy image of South Korean cuisine and the global trend toward healthier lifestyles, South Korea's program rode the Korean pop culture wave, which set the stage for the success of the program. Based on the analysis, the recommended model for Indonesia’s program implementation consists of six components in terms of menu and target diners, regulation, responsible organizations and coordination, goals, financing sources, and personnel.

Transfer in international VET cooperation: Development of a typology

AbstractIn this paper, the perspective of international vocational education and training (VET) providers on the issue of transfer from Germany as a origin country to a specific target country is considered. The existing state of research on the topic of VET transfer has so far been largely located at the macro level. Still, to develop a better understanding of transfer, it is useful to include individual projects on a programme basis in the analysis as their understanding in turn shapes the entire transfer work. The study aims to identify the understanding of transfer of vocational training service providers in internationalisation projects, as well as different types of transfer. Case studies are applied that involve German VET providers, sampled from a German funding line. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, process documents and previous research, in‐depth interviews with six project actors are conducted to identify the perspectives and approaches for transfer. Among other theoretical approaches, Dolowitz and Marsh's policy transfer framework and Gessler's levels of transfer form the theoretical framework of the study. In the context of the present study, different understandings of transfer can be attributed. Furthermore, using type‐building content analysis, four ideal transfer types, namely imitative Re‐Combination, adaptative Specialization, adaptative Re‐Combination and transformative Specialization are classified. The transfer itself is determined by the project activity rather than by a pre‐determined understanding of transfer on the part of the internationally active VET provider. In turn, the project activity shapes the type of transfer in combination with the project partners in the target country context. The project actors focus on structures and content; the transfer of practices and processes is largely understood implicitly and thus less directly forced.

Normative Emulation and the Diffusion of Institutional Frameworks from the European Union to the African Union

ABSTRACT The European and African experiences of integration have followed different historical trajectories. However, Africa’s approach to regionalism seems to be dominated by European conceptions in two areas: political and institutional. From an institutional perspective, a number of European Union and African Union institutions bare certain similarities. Do these institutional similarities represent traceable evidence of the diffusion of regional integration from the European Union to the African Union? This article answers this question using a process tracing methodology within a policy transfer and diffusion framework. It tests for evidence of diffusion haven occurred through conditionalities (incentives) offered from EU support for Africa’s continental integration as well as for lesson drawing and emulation by the AU. It finds no traceable evidence of diffusion from the EU to the OAU/AU between 1963 to 2003 and concludes that normative emulation is the most probable cause of the institutional similarities between the EU and AU.

포스트 코로나 시대 디지털 문화예술 정책과제의 쟁점과 방향성: 국제기구 정책 담론과 국가정책 사례를 중심으로

Digital transformation has become a vital concept in many global agendas ever since Klaus Schwab discussed the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the 2016 World Economic Forum. The digital surge during the COVID-19 pandemic has induced more significant impacts on every facet of our society and has imposed countering policy measures on policymakers and governments to cope with the crisis. This research aims to identify the current trends and issues of cultural policies in the digital environment at a global level. By adopting the conceptual framework of cross-national policy transfer (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B20">Dolowitz &amp; Marsh, 2000</xref>) and three opportunities to drive purpose-led digital transformation (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B51">World Economic Forum, 2020</xref>), this study engages with a qualitative research design by conducting document analysis based on policy reports and international policy cases published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Additionally, the authors have selected two countries for their case study, Canada and the UK, to review their digital cultural policy plans that were initiated before the pandemic and were well-received. This research suggests that, while the arts and creative sectors should adapt to the new digital environment from technologies to business models, potential inequalities, such as cultural representations and market-oriented consumptions, must also be monitored and prevented. For sustainable development of the arts and cultural domain, public agencies also need to invest and promote innovative collaborations and networking and experimental arts projects and research. Further, they must develop new business models for arts and creative organizations with more open and user-driven policy measures.

Policy Transfer: The Case of Founding the Growth Enterprise Board in China’s Security Market

ABSTRACT This article explores the initiation process of China’s Growth Enterprise Board in the security market and focuses on the policy transfer activities developed by the Chinese based on the financial markets of the United States and United Kingdom. It presents a case study of China’s Growth Enterprise Board, which has served as a new system for financing high-tech and innovative enterprises and upgrading the performance of the security market in China. The study expands the policy transfer framework as a ‘short-cut’ approach and suggests that policy transfer is a rational tool for creating policy instruments in a developing country. Additionally, the article indicates that policy agencies, such as China’s security market, NASDAQ, and AIM, have become key sources for internationalizing China’s security market. Therefore, this article contributes to the literature on policy transfer, which has previously paid little attention to China’s security market in the past.

Developing a best-practice model for water and wastewater services in informal urban settlements in Tanzania

ABSTRACT This research proposes a model for enhancing the pro-poor water supply and provision of sanitation services in informal urban settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The model was developed from semi-structured interviews, a rigorous literature content analysis of best-practice case studies and application of the Policy Transfer Framework. Development and adoption of a long-term strategy to mobilize financial resources and guide the water sector to develop pro-poor plans were key recommendations. While not a panacea, it is hoped that adoption of the model would significantly improve the current water supply and sanitation service delivery to informal urban settlements Dar es Salaam.

Intra-crisis learning and prospective policy transfer in the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis article brings together the literatures on policy learning and lesson drawing with the intra-crisis learning literature in order to assess “learning lessons” in the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachIt carries out a structured review of articles that seek to provide lessons for the pandemic. It examines these articles using interpretative content analysis to apply the criteria of prospective policy transfer to the material.FindingsApplication of the criteria of prospective policy transfer suggests that lesson drawing was fairly limited. It is often not fully clear why nations were selected. Many articles were brief and provided limited detail, meaning that there was little depth on issues such as problems and goals and on policy performance or policy success or failure. There was limited discussion of transferability of lessons, and few clear lessons could be drawn. Finally, the extent to which it was possible to learn lessons in a “non-routine” or “less routine” crisis, under conditions of threat, uncertainty and urgency was generally not discussed.Practical implicationsThe criteria within the framework of prospective policy transfer provide a template for policy makers to assess lessons.Originality/valueThis article indicates the problems of attempting to draw lessons from the past or from other nations to an unprecedented crisis, where decision-making is characterized by elements of threat, urgency and uncertainty.

Policy transfer processes and renewable energy penetration: a comparative analysis of Peru, Thailand, and Uganda

BackgroundLow-carbon technologies must be widely adopted at a large scale to address climate change and enhance access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. The uptake of those technologies is often supported by specific policies developed at a national or regional level and those policies, like the technologies themselves, can diffuse from one place to another. This paper sheds some light on this ‘policy transfer’ and investigates the dynamics, the actors and the processes involved. We illustrate what happens when renewable energy support policies in one country inspire renewable support policies in another country using three case studies in Peru, Thailand and Uganda as examples.ResultsUsing an adapted version of the policy transfer framework first elaborated by Dolowitz and Marsh (Polit Stud 44:343–57, 1996; Governance 13:5–23, 2000), we describe the policy transfer process in the three case study countries according to several criteria. We find that policy transfer is not a straightforward process where a ‘borrower’ country simply adopts policies from a ‘lender’ country, but instead a complex process where many actors - national and international – interact to shape the outcome of the process. And while experiences particularly in the EU as well as international developments have influenced the policy transfer in case study countries significantly, domestic issues also play a key role in shaping the transferred policies and in adapting them to local contexts. Moreover, the policy transfer process is not an one-off event, but a continuous process where iterative learning helps the policies to evolve over time.ConclusionsPolicy transfer is a complex matter, involving many stakeholders during a continuous process over time. The Dolowitz and Marsh framework proved useful to analyse policy transfer and the actors involved although questions for further research remain. For instance, against what kind of criteria should the ‘success’ of a policy transfer be measured? Moreover, while comparing three illustrative case studies is a first, useful step, having a larger set of case studies and data might enhance our understanding of the details of the processes involved even further.

Transferring sustainable urban mobility policies: An institutional perspective

This study develops an institutional framework for the transfer of the sustainable urban mobility policies from developed to developing institutional settings. Drawing on new institutional economics approach, the study investigates the institutional structure of the urban mobility field with a view to propose a policy transfer framework. The framework is then used in transferring sustainable urban mobility policies from London to Istanbul. On its way to establish a more sustainable urban mobility system, the city of Istanbul, which is the economic capital of Turkey, grapples with many urban mobility problems such as rapid motorization, chronic traffic congestion, air and noise pollution and a fragmented governance structure. London's recent Mayor's Transport Strategy published in March, 2018 which sets out a comprehensive set of policies aiming towards a more sustainable urban mobility is used as a benchmark document for transferring policies to Istanbul. The policy transfer study, commissioned by the local transport authority of Istanbul, is undertaken by a team of experts, consultants and academics which include the author of this study as well. The transfer process is carried out by translating policies into the institutional structure of the policy borrowing city, namely Istanbul. The fragmentation in the policy and governance levels in Istanbul, acting as a major barrier for direct transfer, is addressed by the proposed institutional policy transfer framework. Overall, the study aims to open up new avenues for an institutionally-informed transport policy research. More specifically, the study provides novel conceptual tools for the analysis of the policy transfer studies involving disparate institutional settings.

Factoring in Societal Culture in Policy Transfer Design: the Proliferation of Private Sponsorship of Refugees

The Canadian model of private sponsorship schemes (PSS) for refugees is becoming an increasingly popular target for policy transfer in the field of migration. This article argues that the influence of societal culture on this transplanting process has played an underexplored role in the literature. We seek to provide original guidance for factoring in cultural elements into the policy transfer framework by demonstrating how specific design choices in PSS transfer display clear cultural associations. A tentative study of nine countries that have adopted different models of PSS corroborates this hypothesis empirically. Our preliminary findings suggest that cultural compatibility may indeed increase the effectiveness of a policy transfer in some instances, while culturally preferred choices being adopted in other cases may result in suboptimal design. This converse interplay indicates that cultural awareness constitutes a crucial element of successful transfer processes and stresses the need to adopt a culturally sensitive perspective more frequently and more explicitly.

How do energy policies accelerate sustainable transitions? Unpacking the policy transfer process in the case of GETFiT Uganda

Energy policies play an important role in accelerating ‘sustainable transitions’ by enabling and incentivizing investment in electricity generation from renewable sources. Key policies such as feed-in tariffs, tradable permits and auctions were pioneered in OECD nations, notably within the European Union, and in recent years have been the subject of donor-funded projects to transfer such policies to lower-income countries. However, within the wider transition studies literature, there is a lack of detailed understanding regarding the process of how this policy transfer takes place in the renewable energy sector. Our research addresses this gap by analyzing the micro-politics and actor-strategies by which the GETFiT program was implemented in Uganda. In particular, we focus on the interplay of transnational and national actors in pursuit of specific policy objectives. Informed by case study method and qualitative research, we employ theoretical perspectives, archival data sources and semi-structured interviews to adapt the policy transfer framework to the agency perspective of policy translation. We find that transnational influences, resource flows, local embeddedness, and institutional resilience are all necessary prerequisites for a coherent policy outcome. Moreover, this study opens up an avenue of research into co-creation processes and relational perspectives in sustainasbility transitions.

Policy transfer in city-to-city cooperation: implications for urban climate governance learning

ABSTRACTCity-to-city cooperation is one mechanism in which climate policies are developed, transferred and learned between cities. However, the process of transfer of urban climate policies and sustainability in bilateral cooperation that embeds knowledge gaps and different political contexts is under-researched. Especially missing is an understanding of the modes, sources and depth of learning in these constellations, and their relations to urban climate governance. This paper asks to better understand this learning relationship. It does so by applying guiding questions from policy transfer framework and governance learning literature to the cooperation between two German cities (Berlin and Freiburg) and one Israeli city (Tel Aviv-Yafo). By aligning qualitative methods with these frameworks, the paper reveals that in this constellation learning is mostly sequential, from exogenous sources and with no substantial contribution to urban climate governance in the recipient city (Tel Aviv). However, learning produces modest policy changes and has a potential of scaling horizontally and vertically in Israeli domestic settings.