Policy making more often than not, is a slow process contingent on a variety of factors such as time, culture, legislative make up, economic pressures, international influences, societal attitudes, etc. Occasionally in our nation’s history however, we are privy to experience quick innovative forces at work. The Innovation and Diffusion Models (IDM) assist in explaining how policy innovation begins. IDM is comprised of two main principle explanations, internal determinants and diffusion models. Internal determinants are those “political, economic, or social characteristics” that happen internally within an area/jurisdiction which can lead to innovative policy change (Berry & Berry, 2014, p. 308). Essentially the influence to adopt new policies
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Berry and Berry (2014) identify these mechanisms as: imitation, normative pressure, learning, competition, and coercion. The simplest explanation of policy innovation is the act of learning, where states learn about other alternatives being practiced by other states (Berry & Berry, 2014). By augmenting their political knowledge, other policy makers are inspired to incorporate some changes into their own state. Exploring polices for inspiration however takes time and effort, forcing policymakers to take short cuts by narrowing their attention to neighboring jurisdictions or choosing to imitate exemplary policies practiced by other states in their jurisdiction (Berry & Berry, 2014). Sometimes, policy innovation and diffusion is the product of states competing against each other. States may enact policy incentives to garner support from their citizens and attract others to their jurisdiction (Berry & Berry, 2014). In response to this threat, other states will compete with these polices by adopting similar or more appealing polices (Berry & Berry, 2014). Conversely, states may feel a normative pressure from fellow neighboring states or even nationally to follow suit and adopt specific policies (Berry & Berry, 2014). Or in cases such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, states are federally mandated or coerced to adopt and follow policies (U.S. Department of Justice, n.d.). Such mechanisms can be diffused regionally, reliant on proximity they may be diffused through states sharing similar characteristics or make
Berry and Berry (2014) identify these mechanisms as: imitation, normative pressure, learning, competition, and coercion. The simplest explanation of policy innovation is the act of learning, where states learn about other alternatives being practiced by other states (Berry & Berry, 2014). By augmenting their political knowledge, other policy makers are inspired to incorporate some changes into their own state. Exploring polices for inspiration however takes time and effort, forcing policymakers to take short cuts by narrowing their attention to neighboring jurisdictions or choosing to imitate exemplary policies practiced by other states in their jurisdiction (Berry & Berry, 2014). Sometimes, policy innovation and diffusion is the product of states competing against each other. States may enact policy incentives to garner support from their citizens and attract others to their jurisdiction (Berry & Berry, 2014). In response to this threat, other states will compete with these polices by adopting similar or more appealing polices (Berry & Berry, 2014). Conversely, states may feel a normative pressure from fellow neighboring states or even nationally to follow suit and adopt specific policies (Berry & Berry, 2014). Or in cases such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, states are federally mandated or coerced to adopt and follow policies (U.S. Department of Justice, n.d.). Such mechanisms can be diffused regionally, reliant on proximity they may be diffused through states sharing similar characteristics or make