THERE HAVE BEEN INSTANCES IN THE RECENT PAST WHEN A POLICY MAKER HAS LOOKED BEYOND THE BORDERS TO SEEK INSPIRATION IN DRAFTING A POLICY. HERE'S WHEN.
In the word of public policy, imitation is a rare beast. And rightly so. The policies which might be a spectacular success in one nation may be an abysmal failure in another. Every nation has different demographics, economic structure as well as political trends. Hence, imitation can be a dangerous ploy. Today, we have a look at various instances where such elite emulation occurred and measure the implications of the same.
THE FAMED SOVIET 5 YEAR PLANS
The mighty USSR may have been reminiscent of a glorious past that has no future today. But it's impact on global policy & economics are unfathomable. A famous feature of communist Russia was its renowned five-year plans. Introduced in 1928 under the tutelage of Joseph Stalin, the plans seemed to have worked wonders in transforming a backward nation into an industrial powerhouse.
Seeing their success, nations like India, China & Pakistan emulated the model of economic planning with varying levels of success. India had a stable growth rate, Pakistan's economy wildly fluctuated & China rose exponentially in the latter half. After 65 years, India ditched the system and opted for one-year plans, In retrospect, it can be noted that 5-year plans were more suited to economies having a strong centre and stable economic beliefs, just like China. Hence, for nations like India and Pakistan, they were ill-suited due to constant change in leadership and more federal structure of the government.
ALLIES' DREADED MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE
In the dreadful years of WW-1 & WW-2, the Allies (Britain & the United States) introduced mandatory military service for males aged 18 & above. The wars may have been long gone but there are still many nations around the world who continue this practice to this day,
For countries like Israel, military culture has been a boon because it has acted as an impetus for its startup ecosystem! Israel is surrounded by enemies from all sides. Such a tense geopolitical situation has made military development of utmost importance. Also, it cannot depend on foreign arms supply completely so the development of a domestic arms industry is a must. As a result, Israel has a powerful and innovative industry that is based on indigenous advancement and research. This has given an impetus to the growth of technology.
NORWAY'S SUAVE SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND
Contrary to public perception, Norway's economy is based on huge swathes of oil, natural gas & forests! What the Norwegians have been smart enough to do is create a "sovereign fund" where state-owned enterprises sell natural resources and contribute a majority of the proceeds to the fund. The fund is then invested in a plethora of investment channels around the world like real estate, stock market, venture capitalism & private partnerships with international companies. The funds are managed by professionals with an aim of generating record returns. In 2019, Norway's fund generated a return of $180 billion! Given below are some of the biggest SWFs.
On cue, oil-rich nations like Qatar, UAE & Kuwait as well as export-oriented economies like Singapore, China & Hong Kong started their own sovereign funds.
USA'S HEAD START
The Head Start Program (H.S. Program) is the nation’s largest early intervention and prevention program for at-risk low-income preschoolers in the United States. The plan encompasses a variety of services like education, social, health, and nutrition interventions for all preschoolers. Seeing its success, the British government emulated the program in their own country, dubbed as " Sure Start".
THAT'S ALL FOLKS.
HAVE A GOOD ONE.