Economic Ideas and the Political Process

While sociologists and political scientists have become interested in the role of ideas in the political process, relatively little work looks at how ideological claims are actually deployed in political discourse. This article examines the economic claims made in two pairs of Congressional debates over tax cuts, one (in 1962 and 1964) generally associated with Keynesian economic theories, and one (in 1978 and 1981) tied to supply-side ideas. While these bills were indeed initiated by groups subscribing to different economic ideologies, subsequent debates look surprisingly similar. The bills were closer in substance than one might expect, and while their proponents came from opposite political camps, in both cases supporters focused more on supply-side than demand-side effects and emphasized tax cuts’ ability to pay for themselves through economic stimulation. The authors propose that politically acceptable economic claims may evolve more slowly than the economic theories that inspire policy entrepreneurs, and that this “discursive opportunity structure” may not only constrain the political process but may potentially shape the political effects of expert knowledge

Economics · Ideology · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Sociology · Work (physics) · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Social Policy and Reform Studies

• The Political Sociology of Public Finance and the Fiscal Sociology of Politics

  Open Access•Isaac William Martins, Isaac William Martin•New Handbook of Political Sociology•2020

  Incluir item

• The Triumph of Deficits

  Daniel R Alvord, Daniel Alvord•Sociological Quarterly•2020

  Incluir item

• Toward a discursive approach to growth models

  Sidney A Rothstein•Review of International Political…•2021

  Incluir item

• The Politicization of Knowledge Claims

  Open Access•Elizabeth Popp Berman, Laura M Milanes-Reyes•Qualitative Sociology•2012

  Incluir item

• An Unlikely Alliance

  Open Access•Elisabeth Anderson, Bruce G Carruthers et al.•Social Science History•2015

  Incluir item

• Consensus, Dissensus, and Economic Ideas

  Henry Farrell, John Quiggin•International Studies Quarterly•2017

  Incluir item

• The Permanent Tax Revolt

  Isaac William Martins, Isaac William Martin•The Permanent Tax Revolt•2008

  Incluir item

• Great Transformations

  Open Access•Mark Blyth, M A Wynter-Blyth•Great Transformations•2002

  Incluir item

• Ideas and Social Policy

  Open Access•Daniel Béland•Social Policy and Administration•2005

  Incluir item

• Taxing America

  E Amenta, Julian E Zelizer•Journal of American History•2001

  Incluir item

• Taxation

  J I Craig, Andrew W Mellon•The Economic Journal•1925

  Incluir item

• Framing Moves

  Mitchel Y Abolafia•Journal of Public Administration…•2004

  Incluir item

• Discursive Institutionalism

  Vivien A Schmidt•Annual Review of Political Science•2008

  Incluir item