Networks of Democratizing Policy Reforms
Faculty Research Grant
This research integrates large existing literatures about a) the international diffusion of democracy; b) the international diffusion of norms, such as human rights and constitutionalism; and c) the diffusion of policies across the US states. We examine the diffusion of post-WWII democratizing policy reforms in countries around the globe in order to identify a latent network of influence among countries. By examining democratizing policy cascades, we ask: Is there a latent network of policy diffusion? If so, who leads, and who follows? Kellogg funds would support three graduate and undergraduate research assistants who will help produce data, models, and results for the analysis. Ultimately, we will produce a manuscript for submission to a top general or comparative political science journal.
