uniqueness of this investigation was Osorio Gonnet's notable empirical study of the epistemic community that developed, changed, and acted as the catalyst for the spread and understanding of CCTs amongst the regions policymakers. Osorio Gonnet's core arguments are illustrated a detailed analysis of the diametrically different cases of Chile's Solidario program and what became Ecuador's Bono Desarrollo Humano program. Not only will this text help form the basis of future studies through the question it raises in relation to diffusion, but it will be a must read for anyone interested in Conditional Cash Transfers, Comparative Policy Analysis, Policy Studies, Policy Diffusion and Policy Transfer studies. - David Dolowitz, University of Liverpool, UK This book offers readers a deeper understanding of the diffusion process of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs in Latin America and the role played by experts and international organizations. CCTs have been increasingly implemented around the world in recent decades, and by 2010, 17 countries in Latin America had adopted them. The evidence suggests that this concentration is due to a process of policy diffusion. International organizations contribute to this process; however, the book's main argument is that there was another, more important actor involved: a regional epistemic community that increased the availability ofinformation about CCTs and reinforced their legitimacy, playing a role in the domestic processes of formulation and adoption. This book addresses the diffusion of the programs throughout the region; diffusion mechanisms that can help us understand the programs' adoption (emulation, learning and coercion); and the impacts of key actors on the process (epistemic community, international organizations and policymakers). Cecilia Osorio Gonnet holds a Ph.D. in tPolitical and Social Sciences from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the Politics and Government Department, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile. Her most recent book was "Learning or emulating: how social policies are disseminated in Latin America" (2018). |