To what extent, and under what circumstances, can experience observed in
one country or culture be transferred to another?
A lot of transport (and other built environment) research tends to "look across
the fence" usually for better practice to be emulated, sometimes for worse
practice to be avoided. But how do we know whether something which works
in one country, will work in the same way somewhere else?
Most researchers (and others) who take this approach either:
a) assume that something will work in the same way, or:
b) argue that it won't work (or will work differently) because of some
contextual differences
In both cases, the writers seem to make up their own criteria for arguing
either a) or b). I have never come across any general theory, or even rule-of-
thumb criteria for assessing how experience might transfer across countries or
cultures.
Has anyone come across anything relevant to this?
Steve Melia
University of the West of England
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