ABSTRACT
Over the past thirty-five years, the historian of contemporary economic policymaking has increasingly had to share his research agenda with the sociologist, economist and political scientist.2 However, the political scientist, in particular, has begun to encroach on the most hallowed of historical terrain, lesson-drawing. Theorists of the state increasingly focus analytical attention on specific historical episodes and discuss the political, social and economic lessons associated with each. Examples of these studies include Hugh Heclo’s 1974 examination of social policy in Britain and Sweden, Lloyd Etheredge’s 1985 investigation of United States (US) foreign policymaking and David Dolowitz’ 1990s studies of welfare reform transfer to the United Kingdom (UK).3 During the past fifteen years, the literature on lessondrawing has proliferated at an incredible pace. Three particular works should be noted as making a significant contribution to this literature: Richard Rose’s 1993 book entitled Lesson-Drawing in Public Policy, Peter Hall’s 1993 Comparative Politics article, and the work on policy transfer by Dolowitz and Marsh.4
