Cross-National Comparisons of Urban Economic Programmes: Is Policy Transfer Possible?

Abstract

Comparing public policies across units of government (whether across local governments in a single country or across nations) can contribute both to a ‘policy learning’ function and a ‘systems understanding’ function. The policy learning function represents a form of natural experiment in which the results of applying differing policies to similar problems can be evaluated. The fundamental concern is what one unit of government can learn from the policy experience of another unit of government.