Patterns of Reinvention

This study considers how states change policy innovations as they diffuse. This process of policy evolution during diffusion, known as reinvention, has been the focus of recent work on innovation diffusion in the states (Clark, 1985; Glick, 1992; Glick Mooney & Lee, 1995). This manuscript focuses on differences in the patterns of reinvention for three different policy innovations with different rates of diffusion: child abuse reporting laws, crime victim compensation laws, and public campaign funding laws. Moreover, how the pattern changes after states amend their initial laws is examined. The data show evidence of reinvention during diffusion but provide only limited support for the first hypothesis that the pattern of reinvention is one of increasing comprehensiveness over time. Consistent with expectations, the data reveal little relationship between the date of adoption and the current law's comprehensiveness, including amendment.