Osmany Porto de Oliveira

POLICY TRANSFER, DIFFUSION, AND CIRCULATION: Research Traditions and the State of the Discipline in Brazil

The purpose of this article, that introduces the dossier titled “Policy Transfer, Diffusion and Circulation”, is, firstly, to present a simple and synthetic map of the field of studies of international policy diffusion, in order to situate the reader from Brazil and Latin America, as well as others interested from different regions. In its second section, the article presents a survey of the state of research on policy diffusion that has been produced in Brazil.

NEW FRONTIERS AND DIRECTIONS IN POLICY TRANSFER, DIFFUSION AND CIRCULATION RESEARCH: AGENTS, SPACES, RESISTANCE, AND TRANSLATIONS

Policy transfer, diffusion and circulation studies are a fertile ground for innovation in public policy analysis. In a globalized world, where state boundaries are permeable and public policy travels transnationally, the diffusion of policies is what naturally connects domestic to international policy. The recent surge of publications in the field consolidated an important and dense body of knowledge. However, after years of research, there now seems stasis if not stagnation, with relatively little conceptual innovation. In this article we propose to address fresh avenues for future research, considering what needs to be better understood in the policy diffusion phenomenon. The new frontiers to be explored are not only associated to heuristic dimensions of the field, but also to empirical dynamics that emerged in the past years. We highlight six new frontiers for policy transfer and diffusion research: (1) the role of the private sector and consultants; (2) internationalization of domestic coalitions; (3) transnational spaces and transfer agents; (4) policy translation; (5) resistance to transfer; and (6) South-South or South-North transfers.

The Cascade: From the Tipping Point to Mass Diffusion

When did PB move from a local experience, with a few replications abroad, to a policy of mass global diffusion? This is the main question addressed in this chapter. It explores how four international institutions—the World Social Forum, the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank—were engaged in the diffusion of PB. The chapter analyses how PB got onto the agenda of each institution and how it was translated to the political view of each one, changing from a radical experience of democracy defended at the World Social Forum to an important instrument of urban management and social accountability for the UN and the World Bank.

Mosaics of Participation: Participatory Budgeting in Andean America and Transfers on a National Scale

The Andean region is one of the most interesting places where Participatory Budgeting was diffused. This chapter takes into account the adoption of Participatory Budgeting in two countries: Ecuador and Peru. It presents how the device was transferred to small cities such as Cotacachi and Villa El Salvador, analysing agents and dynamics. Both cases became important experiences that influenced the creation of national laws on Participatory Budgeting.

Sowing Democratic Seeds in the Desert: The Diffusion of PB in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a region that has witnessed a fast-growing number of experiences of Participatory Budgeting. This chapter analyses the regional diffusion of this device, taking into account not only the role of the “Ambassadors of Participation”, which are now different from the early local authorities that developed PB in Porto Alegre. The action of regional and international organizations is also explored. The chapter also compares cases of adoption and abandonment of PB in different regions of Africa: Francophone (Senegal and Madagascar), Lusophone (Mozambique) and Anglophone (South Africa).

Ambassadors of Participation: The Internationalization of PB

Everything started in Porto Alegre in Brazil in 1989. However, this was not the only city with such experience. Belo Horizonte, as well as Recife, two other important capitals in Brazil, also developed emblematic experiences of PB, with international recognition. How can we understand what made the difference for Porto Alegre to become the capital of Participatory Budgeting? By comparing the trajectories, both local and international, of PB in these three cities, the main mechanisms operating in Porto Alegre are revealed. Among the most important factors that drive diffusion are the first “Ambassadors of Participation”, the founding fathers of Participatory Budgeting.

The Dynamics of the Process of Diffusion: Institutions, Individuals and Mechanisms

Diffusion occurs through the action of agents who interact in specific spaces, operating at different levels (local, national, transnational). This is the conceptual chapter of the book. It is a guide for the reader to understand the main concepts presented, along with the narrative of the global diffusion of participatory budgeting. The chapter presents three different definitions to analyse the phenomenon: transfer, diffusion and circulation. The notion of “ambassadors of participation” as those actors, crucial for the diffusion process, that detain political, practical and theoretical authority on PB is defined. Finally causal mechanisms are explained in detail.

Accessing International Policy Diffusion

Brazil, as other countries from the South, imported many of its institutions and political models from abroad. However, in the past decades, this country made important innovations—such as Participatory Budgeting (PB)—thus becoming a “policy exporter”. This chapter introduces the reader to the main issues developed throughout the book. The literature on policy diffusion and PB is presented. The main argument—which asserts that the interaction between individuals and institutions (national and international) was a necessary condition to engender a process of legitimization and circulation of PB—is advanced. Finally, the strategy to access policy diffusion and the field research methodology is developed.

Promoting Transnational Connections: The Networks of Participatory Democracy

At the end of the 1990s and in the early 2000s, Participatory Budgeting caught the attention of many international local authorities, militants and journalists. Different transnational networks were created promoting participatory democracy, taking Participatory Budgeting as a main reference. In particular, there was a network called Radically Democratize Democracy, created by French activists, and another called the Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy, led by Porto Alegre and closely tied to the municipalist movement participating at the World Social Forums. This chapter analyses in detail the role of both networks in the diffusion of Participatory Budgeting.