Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Discursive Governance: Toward a Holistic Approach to Understanding a Dialogue on Race in Government
- 2 Measuring the Political Dialogue on Race
- PART I Societal Reception to a Dialogue on Race
- PART II Political Institutions and a Dialogue on Race
- 5 Racial Frames and Policy Coalitions: How the Dialogue on Race Shapes the Creation of Public Policy
- 6 The Disconnect between Political Rhetoric and Public Policy
- Conclusion: A Place for a Racial Dialogue in an Aspiring Post-Racial Society
- Appendix A Defining and Measuring Race-Related Statements
- Appendix B Study Description and Coding across Chapters
- Appendix C Wharton Behavioral Lab Experiments and the National Experiment
- Appendix D Method for Assessing the Overlap of Presidential Discussion and Minority Magazine Articles: Text Reuse (Plagiarism Analysis)
- References
- Index
5 - Racial Frames and Policy Coalitions: How the Dialogue on Race Shapes the Creation of Public Policy
from PART II - Political Institutions and a Dialogue on Race
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2016
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Discursive Governance: Toward a Holistic Approach to Understanding a Dialogue on Race in Government
- 2 Measuring the Political Dialogue on Race
- PART I Societal Reception to a Dialogue on Race
- PART II Political Institutions and a Dialogue on Race
- 5 Racial Frames and Policy Coalitions: How the Dialogue on Race Shapes the Creation of Public Policy
- 6 The Disconnect between Political Rhetoric and Public Policy
- Conclusion: A Place for a Racial Dialogue in an Aspiring Post-Racial Society
- Appendix A Defining and Measuring Race-Related Statements
- Appendix B Study Description and Coding across Chapters
- Appendix C Wharton Behavioral Lab Experiments and the National Experiment
- Appendix D Method for Assessing the Overlap of Presidential Discussion and Minority Magazine Articles: Text Reuse (Plagiarism Analysis)
- References
- Index
Summary
The course of race policy in the twentieth century clearly depended centrally and above all on processes of coalition formation and on the ability of racial minorities to participate in policy-making coalitions.
–Robert LiebermanThe majoritarian nature of the democratic process forces minority groups to appeal to other like-minded citizens and politicians in order to garner policy support. As virtuous as their cause might be, racial and ethnic minorities do not comprise a majority voting bloc or have a sufficient number of representatives in government to pass legislation. To win appeals for equity and fairness, they must build coalitions that include support from majority segments of society and government. As Lieberman eloquently expresses in the opening quotation, coalitions are central to public policies that relate to racial and ethnic minority concerns, and the need to build coalitions has shaped contemporary politics in the minority community. These coalitions have largely been discussed in terms of support from the American public, where the millions of voters who rally behind a proposition or a political candidate represent this alliance. But coalitions are also established in government among politicians who are crafting legislation and shaping the narrative of public policy.
Given that federal politicians have the power to create public policy, it is here – among elite policy coalitions established in Congress and with the executive office – that alliances are most consequential for a dialogue on race. The link between political discourse and policy support allows us to ask several old and enduring questions that remain unsettled: Do politicians limit their political coalitions and policy networks when they speak about race? Can a dialogue on race promote policy alliances for both race-conscious and race-neutral policies? Does the dialogue on race influence policy outcomes?
This chapter extends the discursive governance theory to consider the implications for the policy-making process. In doing so, it challenges the shroud of doubt and pessimism that make politicians wary of discussing minority legislation through a racial frame. As we will see in this chapter, the discourse on race figures prominently in the ability of congressional leaders to garner support. Instead of presenting the traditional story of a dialogue on race as deteriorating policy support, I offer a new narrative in which racial rhetorical frames help to extend the reach and expand the network of opportunities for policy reform.
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- Information
- Governing with WordsThe Political Dialogue on Race, Public Policy, and Inequality in America, pp. 103 - 126Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2016