Policy transfer capacity: The role of individuals, organizations and systems on the adoption and internationalization of policy instruments

Abstract Contemporary policymaking has been characterized by both a progressive state involvement in the internationalization of domestic policies and the intensification of influence of global agendas which demand that states implement new practices posed by multilateral agencies. Policy transfer literature has focused on different aspects of actors’ agency, but there is lack of knowledge about the microdynamics of state capacities that enable policy transfer. At the same time, the capacity literature has paid little attention to the transnationalization of public action. This paper undertakes a theoretical discussion engaging the two literatures and proposes an analytical model to examine policy transfer capacity.