The Political Power of Protest: Minority Activism and Shifts in Public Policy

This book demonstrates the direct influence that political protest behavior has on Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court, illustrating that protest is a form of democratic responsiveness that government officials have used, and continue to draw on, to implement federal policies. Focusing on racial and ethnic minority concerns, this book shows that the context of political protest has served as a signal for political preferences. As pro-minority rights behavior grew and anti-minority rights actions declined, politicians learned from minority protest and responded when they felt emboldened by stronger informational cues stemming from citizens' behavior, a theory referred to as the "information continuum." Given the influence that minority protest actions have wielded over national government, the book offers a powerful implication. Although the shift from protest to politics as a political strategy has opened the door for institutionalized political opportunity, racial and ethnic minorities have neglected a powerful tool to illustrate the inequalities that exist in contemporary society.

Author: Daniel Q. Gillion
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 04/15/2013
Pages: 210
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781107657410

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2013

About the Author
Gillion, Daniel Q.: - Daniel Gillion is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests focus on racial and ethnic politics, political behavior, public opinion and the American presidency. Gillion's research has been published in several journals and books, including Oxford Handbook of Political Behavior, Electoral Studies and The Journal of Politics. Before joining the University of Pennsylvania's faculty, he was the distinguished provost fellow in the political science department at the University of Rochester, where he completed his PhD. He currently serves as the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar and the Ford Foundation Fellow at Harvard University.