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Introduction: the article highlights the importance of the conceptual foundations derived from the sociological institutionalism approach to world culture to understand globalization based on the convergence criterion through categories such as policy diffusion and diffusion mechanisms. Objective: it proposes to analyze the diffusion of science policy models and to observe the diffusion of the international model of science policy focused on innovation. Method and technique: based on the foundations of sociological institutionalism, through documentary analysis of secondary sources, it addresses the diffusion of science policy ideas in the United States and Latin America. Results: it shows evidence of contradictions or decouplings between the guidelines derived from the science policy model and the situation of science. Conclusion: it is concluded that, in the latter countries, a diffusion by emulation has predominated, which has led to an institutional isomorphism in the world of science, but which expresses many uncouplings that are generating controversy in the national scientific communities. Finally, the possibility of articulating the world culture approach to field theory is considered, in order to investigate the aforementioned controversies that appear as variations of the same theme in different Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, efforts to diversify Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have relied on a variety of recruitment and retention programs designed to improve access and outcomes of traditionally underrepresented populations. Examining how such programs emerge within institutions of higher education in the United States – including original motivations, sources of funding, and institutional agents involved in the development and stages of implementation of the program – reveals a lack of strategic and systematic approach to diversifying these fields. Drawing on interviews with administrators representing nearly 40 STEM intervention programs at 10 universities in the United States, this study examines program origins through the lens of institutional isomorphism. The analyses provide evidence of mimetic and coercive isomorphism, and little evidence of strategic decision-making and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine whether voucher programme regulation reduces private school specialisation in the US. We employ school-and-year fixed-effects regression and examine individual private schools in Washington, DC, Indiana, and Louisiana as they transition into voucher programme environments. We leverage the Private School Universe Survey to observe how schools self-identify before and after switching into voucher environments. We find that upon switching into school voucher environments, private schools in all 3 locations are more likely to identify as less specialised than they were prior to entering the programmes. We find suggestive evidence that the homogenising effects may be stronger in more heavily regulated voucher programme environments, and that those schools in more lightly regulated environments are more likely to continue highlighting their specialised approach to education. These findings are examined within an institutional theory framework to understand the potential homogenising effect of regulations on the diversity of the private school market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1995, U.S. News and World Report (U.S. News) released its first ranking of public affairs master’s degree programs. The rankings have been conducted every 3 years since and have grown in importance to public policy and public administration programs. This study considers the history and background of ranking public policy and administration graduate programs, the rationale used by U.S. News, and the methodology used by U.S. News. This is followed by a longitudinal analysis of these rankings from 1995 to 2016. Findings are presented in a conceptual framework of academic rankings using concepts of equilibrium, specialization, diffusion of innovations, and institutional isomorphism. The implications of this framework and the findings of our analysis are spelled out for public affairs deans, directors, and faculty seeking to improve their ranking as well as those seeking to hold on to their present rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffusion of an innovation occurs when it is communicated to other organisations or markets. This study employs institutional theory, focusing on coercive isomorphism, to examine the diffusion of the community policing philosophy via federal funding from the US Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing. Data was derived from the FAST grant programme designated for the hiring of police officers serving smaller jurisdictions. Findings reported that less than half of the possible organisational field accessed a FAST grant, indicating a modest impact of coercive efforts via COPS grants. In addition, while the bulk of FAST grants were awarded during the earliest stages of the grant programme, analysis indicates this behaviour is not what would be expected. Consequently, while most grants were awarded quickly, institutional or occupational isomorphism was not achieved with regard to diffusing the community policing philosophy via a federal grant programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the organizational structures of nonprofit organizations in Australia and the United States. Using random samples of nonprofits drawn from the two organizational populations, the analysis compares the extent of structural resemblance or isomorphism in each. It detects similar levels of isomorphism for several structural characteristics. The paper interprets this finding as reflecting expectations for nonprofit organizations that stretch worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the intuitive relation between national and organizational culture, empirical research relating the two phenomena is sparse. This article compares the national and organizational cultures of India, Brazil, and the USA, uncovering a significant but complex relationship. Clusters are found in all three countries that both systematically replicate and reject national values. Possible reasons for these 'isomorphic' and 'rejective' responses to national culture are explored and their theoretical implications developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]