Global Diffusion of COVID-19 Policy Adoption: The Role of Geographic, Cultural, and Institutional Cues

56 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2023 Last revised: 30 Oct 2023

See all articles by Brian An

Brian An

Georgia Institute of Technology

Simon Porcher

Université Paris Panthéon-Assas

Shui Yan Tang

University of Southern California

Date Written: July 3, 2023

Abstract

In an unprecedented global crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, when vertical global governance plays a relatively minor role, government leaders must obtain policy information cues from other governments’ behaviors horizontally. This study builds on the policy diffusion literature to examine the distinct role of geographic, cultural, and institutional peers in influencing a country’s policy adoptions throughout a diffusion episode. We theorize that in the case of COVID-19, policy-culture fit enhances policy learning, leading cultural cues to exert a more pronounced diffusion influence than geographic and institutional cues over time. Our empirical analysis leverages worldwide data tracking the daily adoption of nine universal COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical policies from January 1, 2020 to June 1, 2021 in nearly 100 countries. We show that geographic and institutional proximity are initial sources of policy cues affecting adoption. But their effects fade over time while that of cultural cues grows in the later stage of a diffusion episode, illustrating the role of policy learning fueled by cultural fit. This research deepens our understanding of policy diffusion dynamics, shedding light on the role of national culture in policy making and design in comparative policy studies.

Keywords: Global Policy Diffusion, Comparative Research, Geography, Culture, Institutions

JEL Classification: F02, F42, F53, F55, H11, H77, I18

Suggested Citation

An, Brian and Porcher, Simon and Tang, Shui Yan, Global Diffusion of COVID-19 Policy Adoption: The Role of Geographic, Cultural, and Institutional Cues (July 3, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4340043 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4340043

Brian An (Contact Author)

Georgia Institute of Technology ( email )

Simon Porcher

Université Paris Panthéon-Assas ( email )

1 rue Guy de La Brosse
Paris, 75005
France

Shui Yan Tang

University of Southern California ( email )

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626
United States
2137400379 (Phone)

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