18 I Privatising Malaysia Airlines: A Policy Transfer Approach

the process of policy transfer. Figure I. I provides an overview of the

key stages identified in their model. 1bis 12-stage, heuristic model of
policy transfer will be used to confirm whether or not a transfer of
privatisation policies has occurred from UK to Malaysia. In addition, CHAPTER 2
changes in the organisational structure and management of MAS will be
examined in order to determine whether successful implementation was
a consequence of the organisational restructuring. Pol icy Transfer
2 3 4 5 6
RECOGNITION SEARCH CONTACT EMERGENCE COGNJTION EMERGENCE Introduction
Discourse pull Regime OF & OF
Dissatisfaction International INFORMATION RECEPTION 1RANSFER Policy transfer is not a new phenomenon in public policy. The idea of
Cyclical events Transnational FEEDER NETWORK undertaking cross-national research in an attempt to improve national
Conflict National NETWORK
policy is centuries old and has its roots in the work of classical Greek

......
Legitimation Regional

_..,. philosophy. Aristotle studied the constitutions, political institutions and

Local
---+ --+ ---+ ---+ practices of various city-states in an attempt to derive general political
7 8 9 10 11 12 principles of civic betterment. Plato's discussions of the ideally just state
ELITE & INTERACTION EVALUfillON DECISION PROCESS OUTCOME analysed and criticised several definitions of justice in order to arrive at
COGNITIVE ENTERS
MOBILISATION POLICY
its real meaning. Nowadays, policy makers all over the world draw lessons
STREAM both from their own country's experience and the practice of other nations
---+ ---+ -+ ---+ ---+ in seeking best practice for the betterment of their own.
Policy transfer may be viewed as a generic term that covers a
FIGURE 1.1 The Emergence and Development of a Voluntary Transfer Network wide variety of forms of policy development such as policy diffusion
(Majone 1991), policy learning (Haas 1992b), policy convergence
(Source: Evans & Davies 1999: 21) (Bennett 1991b; Coleman 1994) and lesson drawing (Rose 1991a). All_
of these refer to processes of learning in which government policy makers
Markus (1983), who uses a case study of the implementation of (of various kinds) across the globe observe the responses of their
management information system (MIS), notes that the simple replacement counterparts to similar problems.
of key persons was not sufficient for successful implementation. According to Dolowitz and Marsh (1996), the various concepts
Organisational restructuring was required to make the implementation above have no significant differences, since they all refer to the transfer
of MIS work. By implication, an implementation perspective in policy of knowledge about policy from one place at a particular time to another
transfer analysis is absolutely crucial to determine the nature and success place and time. Dolowitz and Marsh (1996, 344) argue that policy transfer,
of policy transfer. The study of policy transfer also has direct practical emulation and lesson drawing all refer to a process in which knowledge
applications, which are evident to governments, and those whom about policies, administrative arrangements, institutions etc. in one time
government serves. It offers a means of devising better policy in both and/or place is used in the development of policies, administrative
economic and administrative terms. Policy transfer also has the potential arrangements and institutions in another time and/or place. Evans (1999,
to act as an ideal type policy process, which will serve as a useful, 30) identifies two further elements - delivery systems and sectors - in
heuristic and prescriptive guide to poUcy-making and policy his definition of policy transfer. He argues that policy transfer is a generic­
implementation. concept which refers to a process in which knowledge about institutions,
policies or delivery systems at one sector or level of governance is used