  We study the escape rate, dN/dt, from clusters with different radii in a
tidal field using analytical predictions and direct N-body simulations. We find
that dN/dt depends on the ratio R=r_h/r_j, where r_h is the half-mass radius
and r_j the radius of the zero-velocity surface. For R>0.05, the "tidal
regime", there is almost no dependence of dN/dt on R. To first order this is
because the fraction of escapers per relaxation time, t_rh, scales
approximately as R^1.5, which cancels out the r_h^1.5 term in t_rh. For R<0.05,
the "isolated regime", dN/dt scales as R^-1.5. Clusters that start with their
initial R, Ri, in the tidal regime dissolve completely in this regime and their
t_dis is insensitive to the initial r_h. We predicts that clusters that start
with Ri<0.05 always expand to the tidal regime before final dissolution. Their
t_dis has a shallower dependence on Ri than what would be expected when t_dis
is a constant times t_rh. For realistic values of Ri, the lifetime varies by
less than a factor of 1.5 due to changes in Ri. This implies that the
"survival" diagram for globular clusters should allow for more small clusters
to survive. We note that with our result it is impossible to explain the
universal peaked mass function of globular cluster systems by dynamical
evolution from a power-law initial mass function, since the peak will be at
lower masses in the outer parts of galaxies. Our results finally show that in
the tidal regime t_dis scales as N^0.65/w, with w the angular frequency of the
cluster in the host galaxy. [ABRIDGED]
