Modeling Isomorphism on Policing Innovation: The Role of Institutional Pressures in Adopting Community-Oriented Policing

Recent research on innovation diffusion points to a number of key factors that stimulate the need for change or facilitate the adoption of innovations. Empirical studies examining the process of innovation that is, how ideas are spread are less common and often lack a theoretical foundation. In the current study, the fit of the institutional model is assessed using secondary data and structural equation modeling. The results show that centrist forces including publications, the professionalization of law enforcement, and other law enforcement agencies shape the organizational adoption of community-policing reforms. The implications of the research for communicating innovations are addressed. (Publisher abstract modified)