Journal article
The Social Contagion Model: Exploring the Role of Public Opinion on the Diffusion of Antismoking Legislation across the American States
The Journal of politics, Vol.74(1), pp.187-202
01/2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0022381611001241
Abstract
Scholars have offered two primary explanations for the influence that neighboring states have on policy diffusion: state officials learn by observing the outcomes of policies and states seek an economic advantage over other states. Both models contend that decision making occurs laterally as state officials learn from or react to the policy decisions of other elites; the public has a minor role. I offer an additional explanation, the social contagion model, which suggests that state residents react to neighboring policies by changing their aggregate opinions on that policy. If state opinion becomes supportive, state officials respond by enacting similar policies in the home state or risk being ousted from office. Using both individual and aggregate data on antismoking legislation, I find empirical support for the social contagion model. The results reorient theories of policy diffusion to the public and, consequently, open up new avenues for future research.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Social Contagion Model: Exploring the Role of Public Opinion on the Diffusion of Antismoking Legislation across the American States
- Creators
- Julianna Pacheco - aUniversity of Michigan
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of politics, Vol.74(1), pp.187-202
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press; New York, USA
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0022381611001241
- ISSN
- 0022-3816
- eISSN
- 1468-2508
- Number of pages
- 16
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Political Science; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9983920526702771
Metrics
65 Record Views