The logic of deflective action
US energy shocks and the US policy process
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7323100 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Z Grossman (Butler University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 33-51 |
| Publication date | 2012-03-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Public Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0143-814X • E-ISSN: 1469-7815 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0143814x11000195 |
| OpenAlex | W2136236245 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 18 |
Exogenous shocks may lead to policies that seem extreme and even “irrational”. This paper argues that, in the event of a major energy shock in the US that persists, such legislation is an inevitable response to the demand from constituents that political actors “do something”. Since shocks by their nature are unanticipated and are often highly technical and complex, boundedly rational legislators cannot generally understand all of the ramifications of the shock, much less hope to craft well-considered and precise legislation to deal with it. But the demand to “do something” means that a range of actions is politically necessary. The “shock” policy process is modelled as a stepwise legislative decision problem. If the crisis persists, legislation that promises a solution is likely to be the result, even if this “solution” is infeasible. The model is applied to five US energy shocks
Action (physics · Craft · Economics · Energy (signal processing · Irrational number · Law and economics · Legislation · Legislature · Physics · Political science · Politics · Process (computing · Shock (circulatory · Climate Change Policy and Economics · Computer Science · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies · Global Energy Security and Policy · Law
How can a disaster trigger substantial policy? A power analysis of the 1998 floods and forest restoration in China
The Determinants of Salience of Energy Issues
Information exchange under uncertainty
From multiple streams to a torrent
Crisis as Catalyst
Utilizing Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework toward an understanding of crisis-driven policy
Strangers at the gate
Applying complex adaptive systems and risk society theory to understand energy transitions
Policy image resilience, multidimensionality, and policy image management
The polarisation of energy policy in the US Congress
Theories of the Policy Process
Theories of the Policy Process
Policy change and learning
Agendas, alternatives, and public policies
Structure-induced equilibrium and legislative choice
Congress, The Electoral Connection
Congress
The Technology Pork Barrel
External shocks and policy change
Speculative Augmentation in Federal Air Pollution Policy-Making
Is There Life After Policy Streams, Advocacy Coalitions, and Punctuations
The Politics of Attention
The Politics of Blame Avoidance
Change, Continuity, and the Evolution of the Law
A Paradigm of ‘Crisis’ Decision Making
Crisis and Leviathan
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,83 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2025 (12) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |