Why, and how do other nations clone our laws?

Question

We pass a smoking bans in bars and restaurants and within months the same bans appear in Irish pubs and French cafes. How does that happen. Certainly these countries have their own health departments. In light of this I can't see Ireland making a determination, based on fact, that second hand smoke is bad. I just don't see how a country that small could even approximate our research budget. So my guess is they cloned our laws. Now they have an American law, in Ireland, based on American research. A lawer told me that Tennesse Law is subject to this. Lawmakers will look for a consensus among the seven contiguous states. Also, when we wanted a lottery in Tennessee we cloned Georgia's and hired away their director.

Answer 1

In most cases, it's called borrowing research.

You're probably right -- Ireland probably doesn't have the research budget that Colorado or California has. So, they look at the scientific research that has been done, and pass their laws accordingly. Does it matter who did the research first? Or do you think that cigarette smoke in Ireland has a different physical behavior and medical effect than cigarette smoke in the states?

As to Tennessee, what's wrong with consensus? There's no requirement that Tennessee adopt laws just because the other states have them. But they can certain take advantage of the research, and the time and effort, that other state legislatures and scholars have put into certain issues.

Countries and states pass laws because they think the laws would be appropriate and applicable there. Whether the impetus comes from what other countries/states do, or from some local tragedy, shouldn't be a determinate factor. if a law is a good idea, then give credit to who came up with it and make the local choice whether to enact it.

Answer 2

Back in 1776 the new United States of America cloned England's Magna Carta

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/statecraft/magna-carta.html