Most cited papers in Policy Transfer and Learning

Policy Transfer and Learning

What are the most cited papers in Policy Transfer and Learning?

The most cited paper in Policy Transfer and Learning is "Understanding Interaction Models: Improving Empirical Analyses" (Thomas Brambor, William R. Clark, Matt Golder, 2005), with 6,266 citations. Next come "An advocacy coalition framework of policy change and the role of policy-oriented learning therein" (3,569) and "Learning from Abroad: The Role of Policy Transfer in Contemporary Policy‐Making" (3,272).

Published TypeAccessCitations

Showing 50 of 100 papers. Every paper with more than 473 citations is listed.

Most cited papers, sortable by citations and release date
#	Paper
1	Understanding Interaction Models: Improving Empirical Analyses Thomas Brambor, William R. Clark, Matt Golder · Political Analysis	18 May 2005	6,266
2	An advocacy coalition framework of policy change and the role of policy-oriented learning therein Paul Sabatier · Policy Sciences	1988	3,569
3	Learning from Abroad: The Role of Policy Transfer in Contemporary Policy‐Making David Peter Dolowitz, David D. Marsh · Governance	2000	3,272
4	When Effect Becomes Cause: Policy Feedback and Political Change Paul Pierson · World Politics	Jul 1993	2,564
5	Who Learns What from Whom: A Review of the Policy Transfer Literature David Peter Dolowitz, David D. Marsh · Political Studies	Jun 1996	2,107
6	Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research: a Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis Paul Sabatier · Journal of Public Policy	1986	1,874
7	State Lottery Adoptions as Policy Innovations: An Event History Analysis Frances Stokes Berry, William D. Berry · American Political Science Review	Jun 1990	1,719
8	The Globalization of Liberalization: Policy Diffusion in the International Political Economy Beth A. Simmons, Zachary Elkins · American Political Science Review Open access	Feb 2004	1,639
9	Introduction: Understanding Public Policy through Its Instruments—From the Nature of Instruments to the Sociology of Public Policy Instrumentation Pierre Lascoumes, Patrick Le Galès · Governance Open access	2007	1,471
10	The Impact of Public Opinion on Public Policy: A Review and an Agenda Paul Burstein · Political Research Quarterly	Mar 2003	1,464
11	Political Issues and Trust in Government: 1964–1970 Arthur H. Miller · American Political Science Review	Sep 1974	1,450
12	Extracting Policy Positions from Political Texts Using Words as Data Michael Laver, Kenneth R. Benoit, John Garry · American Political Science Review	May 2003	1,401
13	The Mechanisms of Policy Diffusion Charles R. Shipan, Craig Volden · American Journal of Political Science	29 Sep 2008	1,362
14	The lessons of learning: Reconciling theories of policy learning and policy change Colin J. Bennett, Michael P. Howlett · Policy Sciences	Aug 1992	1,343
15	Dynamic Representation James A. Stimson, Michael MacKuen, Robert S. Erikson · American Political Science Review	Sep 1995	1,333
16	The Policy Implementation Process Donald S. Van Meter, Carl E. Van Horn · Administration & Society	Feb 1975	1,306
17	What is Lesson-Drawing? Richard B. Rose · Journal of Public Policy	1991	1,304
18	Policy Entrepreneurs and the Diffusion of Innovation Michael Mintrom · American Journal of Political Science	Jul 1997	1,294
19	Rethinking Sustainable Cities: Multilevel Governance and the 'Urban' Politics of Climate Change Harriet Bulkeley, Michele M. Betsill · Environmental Politics Open access	28 Dec 2004	1,246
20	Structure and Process, Politics and Policy: Administrative Arrangements and the Political Control of Agencies Matthew D. McCubbins, Roger G. Noll, Barry R. Weingast · Virginia Law Review Open access	Mar 1989	1,240
21	Policy Entrepreneurship and Policy Change Michael Mintrom, Phillipa Norman · Policy Studies Journal	20 Oct 2009	1,186
22	Agenda Dynamics and Policy Subsystems Frank R. Baumgartner, Bryan D. Jones · The Journal of Politics	Nov 1991	1,141
23	Focusing Events, Mobilization, and Agenda Setting Thomas A. Birkland · Journal of Public Policy	1998	1,051
24	Urban Regimes and the Capacity to Govern: A Political Economy Approach Clarence N. Stone · Journal of Urban Affairs	Mar 1993	1,036
25	Organizing Babylon ‐ On the Different Conceptions of Policy Networks Tanja A. Börzel · Public Administration	1998	1,026
26	Mobilizing policy: Models, methods, and mutations Jamie Peck, Nik Theodore · Geoforum	5 Feb 2010	994
27	Administrative Burden: Learning, Psychological, and Compliance Costs in Citizen-State Interactions Donald P. Moynihan, Pamela Herd, Hope Harvey · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory	27 Feb 2014	982
28	A Narrative Policy Framework: Clear Enough to Be Wrong? Michael D. Jones, Mark K. McBeth · Policy Studies Journal	23 Apr 2010	916
29	Transfer agents and global networks in the ‘transnationalization’ of policy Diane Stone · Journal of European Public Policy	2004	916
30	Context and Causal Mechanisms in Political Analysis Tulia G. Falleti, Julia F. Lynch · Comparative Political Studies	21 Apr 2009	908
31	Urban Policy Mobilities and Global Circuits of Knowledge: Toward a Research Agenda Eugene McCann · Annals of the Association of American Geographers	30 Oct 2010	899
32	International organizations as teachers of norms: the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cutural Organization and science policy Martha Finnemore · International Organization	1993	878
33	Policy Makes Mass Politics Andrea Louise Campbell · Annual Review of Political Science Review	Mar 2011	867
34	Public Leadership in Times of Crisis: Mission Impossible? Arjen Boin, Paul ‘t Hart · Public Administration Review Open access	14 Aug 2003	866
35	Policy Learning and Failure Peter May · Journal of Public Policy	Oct 1992	865
36	Agendas and Instability in American Politics Peter C. John · SSRN Electronic Journal PreprintOpen access	28 Sep 2013	855
37	Themes and Variations: Taking Stock of the Advocacy Coalition Framework Christopher M. Weible, Paul Sabatier, Kelly McQueen · Policy Studies Journal	Feb 2009	835
38	Lessons of Welfare: Policy Design, Political Learning, and Political Action Joe Soss · American Political Science Review	Jun 1999	822
39	Theory and Practice of Delegation to Non-Majoritarian Institutions Mark R. Thatcher, Alec Stone Sweet · West European Politics Open access	2002	814
40	Environmental policy integration: a state of the art review Andrew Jordan, Andrea Lenschow · Environmental Policy and Governance	May 2010	812
41	Ideas, Politics, and Public Policy John L. Campbell · Annual Review of Sociology Review	28 Jul 2002	805
42	The Renaissance of Political Culture Ronald F. Inglehart · American Political Science Review	Dec 1988	801
43	Policy capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding policy competences and capabilities Xun Wu, M. Ramesh, Michael P. Howlett · Policy and Society	Sep 2015	780
44	On Waves, Clusters, and Diffusion: A Conceptual Framework Zachary Elkins, Beth A. Simmons · The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science	Feb 2005	771
45	Transnational Climate Governance Liliana B. Andonova, Michele M. Betsill, Harriet Bulkeley · Global Environmental Politics Open access	14 Apr 2009	727
46	Policy failure and the policy-implementation gap: can policy support programs help? Bob Hudson, David James Hunter, Stephen Peckham · Policy Design and Practice Open access	2 Jan 2019	725
47	Cities, Europeanization and Multi‐level Governance: Governing Climate Change through Transnational Municipal Networks* Kristine Kern, Harriet Bulkeley · JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies Open access	23 Jan 2009	717
48	The Rise of ‘New’ Policy Instruments in Comparative Perspective: Has Governance Eclipsed Government? Andrew Jordan, Rüdiger K.W. Wurzel, Anthony R. Zito · Political Studies Open access	Oct 2005	710
49	Model or Metaphor? A Critical Review of the Policy Network Approach Keith M. Dowding · Political Studies	Mar 1995	705
50	Knowledge, Policy-Oriented Learning, and Policy Change Paul Sabatier · Science Communication	Jun 1987	701

Citations are OpenAlex's own counts, from its 2026-09-23 snapshot, so the ranking can differ from Google Scholar or Web of Science. A paper is listed for a field when OpenAlex files it under one of the field's topics; retracted papers and papers whose citation count cannot be traced to citing works are left out, and a preprint and the article it became are shown once. Release dates are OpenAlex's: where a source gave only a month or a year, that is what is shown. How the lists are chosen.