Site of research: School of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Tampere
Project director: Professor Pertti Alasuutari
Sponsor: Kone Foundation (2014-)
Researchers:
- Ph.D. Leena Tervonen-Gonçalves (1.2.2015-)
- Ph.D. Petri Ruuska (1.1.2016-)
- M.Sci Elina Mikola (1.8.2014-31.1.2015)
- Ph.D. Marjaana Rautalin (1.1.-31.7.2014)
- M.Sci Jukka Syväterä (1.1.2014-31.12.2015)
Project description
Even though there are plenty of examples about how national policy-making is dependent on the trajectories of other countries and how national states throughout the world adopt similar policy models, thus conforming to global policy trends, we know little about how national policies are actually synchronized with each other. The main research questions of this project are: How do national policy-makers utilize international comparisons and policy decisions of other nation-states? How do global policy trends and fashions emerge as a consequence of interdependent policy making?
Our initial hypothesis is that political struggles, triggered by international comparisons, have two kinds of simultaneous implications. On the one hand, these processes contribute to the synchronization of national policy change and political discourse with other nation-states. On the other hand, exogenous influences and ideas are domesticated by this process in such a way that they are experienced as inherently domestic and thus their global origins are forgotten.
The project will test this hypothesis through case studies analyzing national policy-making in practice. The primary data comprises parliamentary debates on lawmaking from a broad selection of countries.
