Clustered Policy Attention and Punctuated Equilibrium: The Case of Energy and Environment Policy Alex DeGolia Bren School for Environmental Science and Management University of California, Santa Barbara April 6, 2014 Analysis of US policy dynamics through the lens of punctuated equilibrium provides a strong rebuttal against methods that presuppose the ability to effectively predict which policies will be the subject of Congressional action, and when. In this paper, I offer an analysis of the interaction between public opinion, attention, Congressional attention, and Congressional action between issue areas, in particular spillover and crowding out effects. The same psychological limits that have a strong bearing on the production of policy outputs in the punctuated equilibrium model also result in heterogeneous levels of attention addressed to public concerns translation of that attention into laws between these issue areas. These psychological factors, in particular cognitive linkages between issues and associated cognitive cost savings, may indicate that Congressional attention on some issues will affect the timing of policy production between issues that are not obviously or relevantly linked. Prepared for the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association Seattle, WA. April 17-19, 2-14
Clustered Policy Attention and Punctuated Equilibrium: The Case of Energy and Environment Policy Alex DeGolia Bren School for Environmental Science and Management University of California, Santa Barbara April 6, 2014 Analysis of US policy dynamics through the lens of punctuated equilibrium provides a strong rebuttal against methods that presuppose the ability to effectively predict which policies will be the subject of Congressional action, and when. In this paper, I offer an analysis of the interaction between public opinion, attention, Congressional attention, and Congressional action between issue areas, in particular spillover and crowding out effects. The same psychological limits that have a strong bearing on the production of policy outputs in the punctuated equilibrium model also result in heterogeneous levels of attention addressed to public concerns translation of that attention into laws between these issue areas. These psychological factors, in particular cognitive linkages between issues and associated cognitive cost savings, may indicate that Congressional attention on some issues will affect the timing of policy production between issues that are not obviously or relevantly linked. Prepared for the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association Seattle, WA. April 17-19, 2-14
PolicyClustering_WPSA2014.docx