Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Chapter 4 explores the social, political, and structural conditions that facilitate the diffusion of racialized policies across states. In doing so, it finds that racialized diffusion processes lack many of the forms of social and structural reinforcement found in most state policy diffusion processes. Instead, progressive and regressive policies spread through a complex system of in-group and out-group brokerage where states seek to form ties with others who have realigned themselves politically to reflect a similar position in the larger conflict between racial orders. This lack of reinforcement creates fragile networks built on weak ties between states. This allows policies to spread relatively. However, the networks are under a constant threat of collapse.</jats:p>