The Transnational Policy Process: Perspectives From Latin America

ABSTRACT

The connection between domestic and international issues is increasingly present in the reality of contemporary public policies. Various international actors participate in the process of producing domestic public policies, including international organizations, foreign governments, consultancies, private companies, activists, think tanks, and philanthropic organizations, among others. Meanwhile, few studies on the policy process engage with its transnational dimension, which can be understood as an expanded space of symbiosis between the domestic and the international. To elucidate the six distinctive elements of the transnational policy process proposed in the article, we consider three Latin American cases, each pointing to the relevance of recognizing that public policies exist in a transnational space and are affected by transnational dynamics. Selected cases also help in consolidating empirical research agendas informed by the transnational approach to public policies and contribute to the inclusion of this dimension, and identify its relevance in explaining the phenomena and dynamics of the policy process.