The Oligarchic Diffusion of Public Policy

Abstract

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) policies are characterized as "magic bullets in development." The New York City (NYC) CCT program, Opportunity NYC, was framed as a policy transfer experiment from Mexico's Oportunidades. This article shows how Opportunity NYC was used to legitimate Mayor Michael Bloomberg's power and symbolize his policy efficacy, while its private funding overrode concerns of democratic accountability. The policy rationales that justify CCTs cannot explain why particular models travel across borders, nor how such ideas are globally diffused. The case is discussed in relation to theories on diffusion of public policies and a new type, oligarchic diffusion, is proposed.

Bureaucratic conflict between transnational actor coalitions: The diffusion of British National Vocational Qualifications to China

“…The first social policy studies of this tradition focused on the unemployment crisis of de‐industrializing Britain since the 1980s, and the government's attempts to learn from American Welfare to Work policies as well as Germany's system of dual apprenticeship training (see for example: Dolowitz, 1997; Rose & Wignanek, 1990). While the first wave focused on Anglo‐Saxon countries, later studies also analysed North–South transfers (McCabe, 2007) as well as South–North transfers (Smith, Koikkalainen, & Casanueva, 2013). Qualitative research on South–South diffusion and transfers has further highlighted the crucial role of transnational policy actors (Foli, Béland, & Fenwick, 2018; Porto de Oliveira, 2020).…”

Behavioral Insights into Cash Transfers to Families with Children

“…43 By 2007, the program's budget had expanded to Mex$3.2 billion and was serving 24.06 million people (5 million families) in 92,672 localities across all 31 Mexican states. 11 Transfers, provided monthly, were conditioned on school attendance (being present for at least 85% of school days) and health clinic visits. Parents received subsidies for school supplies and a bonus at the end of the term if school attendance goals were met all year.…”

“…Cash transfer programs, which are often government sponsored, usually have the dual aim of alleviating the detrimental effects of economic deprivation on families with children while at the same time supporting the productivity of the children's caregivers (that is, their ability to work). 11,12 For instance, an infusion of money might enable a parent to afford the childcare that makes holding a job possible. Giving people cash to meet their basic day-to-day needs is also the ethical thing to do, in accordance with the principles of human rights, dignity, and social equity.…”

“…Participants were selected on the basis of demographics (families with children in targeted communities), and benefits were guaranteed for three years with the possibility of renewal. 11,36 Progresa required households to stop taking benefits from other programs.…”