Governing with Words

The Political Dialogue on Race, Public Policy, and Inequality in America

Daniel Q. Gillion

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781107127548
• eBook ISBN: 9781316590058
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Rather than considering political discussions and rhetoric as symbolic, inconsequential forms of politics, Governing with Words conceptualizes them as forms of government action that can shape institutions and societal norms. Daniel Q. Gillion refers to this theory as 'discursive governance'. Federal politicians' statements about racial and ethnic minority concerns aid the passage of minority public policies and improve individual lifestyle behaviors. Unfortunately, most of the American public continues to disapprove of politicians' rhetoric that highlights race. The book argues that addressing racial and ethnic inequality continues to be a tug-of-war between avoiding the backlash of the majority in this nation while advocating for minority interests. Even though this paradox looms over politicians' discussions of race, race-conscious political speech, viewed in its entirety, is the mechanism by which marginalized groups find a place in the democratic process. Such race-conscious discussions, the book argues, have ramifications both within and outside of government.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Discursive Governance
• 2 Measuring the Political Dialogue on Race
• Part I Societal Reception to a Dialogue on Race
• Part II Political Institutions and a Dialogue on Race
• Conclusion
• Appendix A: Defining and Measuring Race-Related Statements
• Appendix B: Study Description and Coding across Chapters
• Appendix C: Wharton Behavioral Lab Experiments and the National Experiment
• Appendix D: Method for Assessing the Overlap of Presidential Discussion and Minority Magazine Articles
• References
• Index