The OECD as an International Referent in National Policy Debates: Comparing Canada and Finland

The paper explores the mechanisms of policy transfer from international organizations to national policy debates through an examination of how the OECD is a referent in parliamentary debates in Canada and Finland. The role of international governmental organizations (IGOs) like the OECD (other obvious ones include the World Bank, the IMF, regional development banks) in encouraging (and sometimes enforcing) international standards has garnered increased attention in the past decade, but the actual mechanisms of transfer are only dimly understood. This is especially true of organizations like the OECD that are “idea generators” and “venues for debate” since they have no coercive power. The paper takes its departure from a previous study on Finland, and applies the same methodology to examine how the OECD is used as a referent in Canadian debates. The results show both the mechanisms that underpin isomorphism as well as possible drivers of continued divergence and distinctiveness. It is important to understand both dynamics, since both will be even more important as global actors struggle with the appropriate role of the state as well as policy approaches in light of the financial crisis. States everywhere, but especially in more vulnerable regions like Central and eastern Europe, will be the targets (and sometimes willing recipients) of policy advice and policy transfer, and should be aware of the logic that governs the process.