Impact of cross-border policies

Amongst academics and politicians the field of 'policy transfer' provides valuable lessons in ways to improve governance. Experiences of 'what works' can be transferred from one system to another, leading to a degree of convergence between states.

Such processes, however, tends to take place away from the public gaze, with interest in its technicalities confined largely to 'policy wonks'.

This is not to say that such practices are not important as ideas which prove particularly effective can spread relatively swiftly from one country to another, although with changes and adaptations during the process of transfer.

But there is a potential for this process to have a more profound effect, if recognition of its importance spreads from experts to the public.

As Biz Stone, founder and chief executive of Twitter, has said: "The open exchange of information can have a positive global impact."

"If people are more informed then they become more engaged. If they are more engaged then they can become more empathetic. They are able to understand something that it happening half way around the world in a uniquely different way. They are able to walk in that person's shoes. And when they are more empathetic we realise we are global citizens, we have a sense of the world and what our place is in it. And we want to essentially do good." ^[i]

So the importance of cross-border knowledge sharing is that it is actually key to spreading and deepening a shared sense of humanity.

This can lead to people across borders gaining a greater understanding of each other's problems, concerns, hopes and dreams.

Footnotes:

[i] Stone, B. (2009), speaking at 'Social media with Stephen Fry', hosted by Nesta, November 19, 2009.  Video available at http://www.nesta.org.uk/assets/features/social_media_with_stephen_fry [January 20, 2010].