This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Balla, S. J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Interstate Professional Associations and the Diffusion of Policy Innovations

George Washington University

Although scholars have found that policy innovations diffuse across states in a systematic manner, they generally have not examined the role that individuals and institutions play in promoting diffusion. I posit that interstate professional associations provide institutional foundations for the development and dissemination of innovations by state officials with jurisdiction over particular policy areas. I test this hypothesis by examining the determinants of state adoption of the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Model Act, a comprehensive set of regulations developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). My central finding is that states whose insurance commissioner participated in the NAIC’s Accident and Health Insurance Committee, which has jurisdiction over HMO regulation, were more likely than other states to adopt the Model Act. This result provides evidence that associations can affect policy diffusion. It also sharpens the conventional wisdom by highlighting a specific institutional arrangement—a committee system—through which participation in associations can facilitate the adoption of innovations.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. B. Sugiyama Theories of Policy Diffusion: Social Sector Reform in Brazil Comparative Political Studies, February 1, 2008; 41(2): 193 - 216. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. M. Meyer and D. M. Konisky Adopting Local Environmental Institutions: Environmental Need and Economic Constraints Political Research Quarterly, March 1, 2007; 60(1): 3 - 16. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Karch National Intervention and the Diffusion of Policy Innovations American Politics Research, July 1, 2006; 34(4): 403 - 426. [Abstract] [PDF]