Sickness and disability benefit programmes

What is driving policy convergence

Bibliographic Data

ID9971759
AuthorsChristopher Prinz (0000-0002-4201-7324, Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques, corresponding author), William Tompson (Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume62
Issue4
Pages41-61
Publication date2009-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Social Security Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-871X • E-ISSN: 1468-246X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1468-246x.2009.01345.x
OpenAlexW2067804759
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited10

In this paper we explore the reasons for the apparent convergence in sickness and disability policies across the OECD, asking whether and to what extent policy convergence should be seen as a product of policy learning. We conclude that convergence is the result of policy imitation more than policy learning and that learning (from past mistakes) is more likely within countries than across borders. Given limited evidence on what really “works”, when it comes to designing policies that both provide adequate income security and still encourage labour‐force participation, governments look abroad or to bodies like the OECD for possible models and ideas to underlie a reform. However, translating those ideas into workable policies requires great sensitivity to the institutional and political‐economic context — especially the role of the social partners and the nature of policies in existence. When it comes to policy implementation, such contextual learning may be crucial

Context (archaeology · Convergence (economics · Economic growth · Economics · Imitation · Policy learning · Political science · Politics · Product (mathematics · Public economics · Computer Science · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Policy Transfer and Learning · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology

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