The Genesis of Transgovernmental Networks

Abstract

In the final empirical chapter, I elaborate the formation, evolution, operation and outcomes associated with a specific Anglosphere transgovernmental policy transfer network—The Windsor Conference—to render in detail how a typical network of this sort operates and to draw out the wider vista of subsequent policy network collaboration, especially with respect to those within the Anglosphere. In Part I, the case study highlights the impact that transnational policy networking can have on the dissemination of policy ideas amongst a cohort of elite policy officials. It provides an overview of the origins and evolution of the network; initial insights into the structure and format of the network; outcomes associated with the network; and reflections on future empirical research. Part II of the chapter sets out a broader vista of Anglosphere networks to have emerged since the WCPN that fall into the same transgovernmental network template. These findings offer an opportunity for critical reflection on the intersection of the concepts of policy transfer and transgovernmentalism, and it is contended that the case yields valuable empirical insights into the murky processes of transgovernmental policy transfer, policy learning and discrete regulation.