Bringing the Public Back In: Should Sociologists Consider the Impact of Public Opinion on Public Policy?

The struggle for democracy, central to Western politics for hundreds of years, is predicated upon the belief that democratic institutions give citizens considerable power over their government. Whether this belief is correct is a key question in the study of democratic politics. This article argues...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 1998-09, Vol.77 (1), p.27-62
Main Author: Burstein, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs
Citizen participation
Citizens
Democracy
Democratic theory
General studies. Ideologies
Government (Administrative Body)
Influence
Liberalism
Policy Analysis
Policy Research
Political parties
Political planning
Political sociology
Politics
Public Officials
Public Opinion
Public Policy
Public policy (Law)
Public sociology
Representative government
Representative government and representation
Skocpol, Theda
Social aspects
Social movements
Social pressure
Social Scientists
Social theories
Sociological perspectives
Sociological Theory
Sociologists
Sociology
Theoretical Problems
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Summary:The struggle for democracy, central to Western politics for hundreds of years, is predicated upon the belief that democratic institutions give citizens considerable power over their government. Whether this belief is correct is a key question in the study of democratic politics. This article argues that this question is neglected by sociologists who examine the determinants of public policy; they neither address theories of democratic responsiveness nor assess the impact of public opinion on public policy. This neglect is problematic for two reasons: there is much evidence that public opinion strongly influences public policy, and there is reason to believe that adding public opinion to sociologists' empirical analyses of policy change would undermine some of their conclusions about the influence of other factors. Two ways of responding to these findings are presented.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1093/sf/77.1.27