Replication Data for: Substantive and Political Learning Among the U.S. States: Abortion Policy Diffusion, 1993-2016

Do policymakers learn from the policy experiences of other governments, and if so, what do they learn? A long-established normative claim suggests that intergovernmental learning can and should occur among the U.S. states, which serve as “laboratories of democracy” for the nation. We put this hypothesis to a tough test, comparing the influences on the diffusion of instrumental Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws with those of more symbolic abortion regulation, from 1993 to 2016. We find evidence of substantive intergovernmental learning in policy diffusion, even for abortion regulation-- but only for instrumental abortion regulations. On symbolic abortion policy, states appear to learn only political lessons. Furthermore, proponents and opponents appear to be learning different lessons in these diffusions, with loss aversion motivating opponents, in particular. Our results suggest that policymakers have a sophisticated understanding of the differences among policies’ goals and act strategically in response to those goals.