Policy Transfer as a “Contested” Process

Abstract

Policy transfer studies have commonly assumed that changes to policies borrowed from abroad are either the result of deliberate efforts to adjust/translate them to fit its receiving environment, or an adaptive response to the cultural and institutional circumstances of the latter. In introducing the concept of “contested policy transfer,” this article will argue that differences between the “original model” and the borrowed one might be actually due to the series of conflicts and negotiations which take place among key bureaucratic actors at the “importer” jurisdiction. The article will illustrate the concept by analyzing the transfer of the Chilean “Programa de Mejoramiento de la Gestión” to the Mexican government, a process which took place between 2005 and 2010.

Keywords:

• contested policy transfer
• performance management
• Chile
• Mexico