Norm diffusion refers to the process through which norms, shared expectations about appropriate behavior, spread across actors and regions in the international system. This can happen through international organizations, diplomacy, transnational advocacy networks, or conditionalities in foreign aid. The concept helps explain how values such as human rights, democracy, or gender equality become embedded globally, even across diverse cultural and political contexts.

• Finnemore, M., & Sikkink, K. (1998). International norm dynamics and political change. International Organization, 52(4), 887–917. https://doi.org/10.1162/002081898550789