Analyzing Patterns of Policy Diffusion in Provincial Education Departments

This study addresses the gap in systematic analyses of the processes of policy adoption, diffusion, and evolution within city and provincial education departments, given the prevailing focus on central government-led education policy research. Utilizing data from the main work plans of school education policies across 17 provincial education departments over a 12-year span (2012–2023), this study employed quantitative time-series frequency analysis and qualitative content analysis to discern patterns of policy diffusion. The findings indicate that the vertical diffusion of vocational and digital education policies was driven by strong directives from the central government, while horizontal diffusion, exemplified by student rights and innovative school policies, emerged gradually following initial local adoption. The study also revealed that policy competition among provincial education departments contributed to shifts in policy prioritization at specific intervals, with departments competitively adopting policies to establish strategic advantages. Furthermore, it was observed that policy diffusion among municipalities transcended simple imitation, fostering policy learning and enabling departments to benchmark successful initiatives from other regions to inform policy development in a competitive context. These results underscore the significance of policy diffusion facilitated by autonomy and competition among municipal education departments, offering critical insights for future policy enhancement and strategic planning.