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Comparing Implementation of Internet Diffusion in the United States and France: Policies, Beliefs, and Institutions
Author(s) -
Amougou Jules,
Larson James S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
review of policy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1541-1338
pISSN - 1541-132X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-1338.2008.00362.x
Subject(s) - lawmaking , the internet , public administration , state (computer science) , government (linguistics) , work (physics) , intervention (counseling) , public policy , political science , political economy , economics , economic growth , legislature , law , engineering , mechanical engineering , psychology , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , psychiatry , world wide web , computer science
Comparing Internet diffusion policies in the United States and France from an implementation perspective brings to light institutional and historical differences, even though both countries used the same top‐down approach. We find that France not only followed the technological lead of the United States in information technology but also emulated some of its more business‐oriented approaches in the implementation of the Internet, despite its own longstanding tradition of government intervention in industrial and commercial matters. This policy shift appears to be spurred by the global economy. Traditionally state‐controlled national economies are now increasingly leveraging private interests for successful industrial policy. When applying Sabatier and Jenkins‐Smith's advocacy coalition framework to the American and French diffusion of the Internet, we find policy communities actually expanding to private and public actors, including industry captains, legislators, and civil servants. These subsystems work together through classic lawmaking and lobbying under technological and economic constraints.