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Investigator's Book Suggests That Politicians Are Not Swayed by Public Opinion When Making Policy Decisions
Published: Aug 16, 2005
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Lawrence R. Jacobs, Ph.D, from the University of Minnesota, co-authored the book, Politicians Don't Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2000.
The project was part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) national program Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research (for more information see Grant Results).
Key Results
The book, which challenges the widely held belief that elected officials fashion policies in order to win public approval, made a series of recommendations for increasing the influence that public opinion has over politicians' and policy-makers' decision-making:
- Generate and protect an active public debate among private citizens.
- Publicize politicians' defiance of public opinion.
- Track media reporting on public opinion and point out when journalists convey misleading portrayals of public opinion and voter preferences.
Funding
RWJF supported the work with a grant of $250,000 between 1994 and 1997.
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Grant Results Reports
RWJF produces Grant Results reports on its funded initiatives. External writers and editors read the entire grant to prepare each report, which is then reviewed by RWJF staff and by the director of the initiative. Any reviewer in the chain may ask for changes in the report to improve clarity or accuracy.
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