Konvergente Evolution? Politikübertragung und Unabhängiges Problemlösen in der Langfristigen Entwicklung von Policy-Regimen in der Telekommunikation

Abstract

In this analysis, concepts based on advanced evolution theories are applied to the development of structures and processes of public policy making. This perspective sees homology as a process in which structures have the same origin, from which they diffuse by propagation, imitation and transfer. Analogy, in contrast, is conceived as an instance of convergent evolution, which exists when independent - but similar - problem solutions emerge based on similar environmental pressures. In this paper, the conceptual differentiation, which is discussed as policy transfer versus independent problem-solving in the literature on convergence in political science, is applied to the evolution of policy regimes and governance structures in telecommunications. A comparison of the long-term development within the six major industrial countries (USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy) shows that both mechanisms where effective.