Denílson Bandeira Coêlho
This chapter describes and analyzes the origins and applicability of the theoretical and conceptual foundations of public policy diffusion studies in Latin America, focusing on Brazil. The approach focuses on how mechanisms of emulation, learning, and coercion influence subnational political behavior in the adoption of federal government policies. A historical review of the literature and the current state of the art is presented, aiming to identify the methodological advances and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research in national political science. It proposes demonstrating that the hypothesis tests used should be complemented by propositions on policy design and its vertical control mechanisms.