Reason and Passion in Agenda-Setting: Influence Dynamics in AI Policy

• In Event: The Use of Narratives in Shaping Discourse and Beliefs in the Policy Process

Abstract

The provision of technical expertise by policy entrepreneurs is known to constitute an important influence in agenda-setting, especially for highly complex and technical policy domains. Yet scholars have increasingly recognized the role of an alternative strategy: the provision of persuasive narratives. An unsettled question is whether this strategy, reflective of the Narrative Policy Framework, could be as influential in gaining the ear of policymakers, even for highly technical policy areas.

Based on a pre-registered analysis plan, this study uses an information-provision field experiment to study the responses of state-level policymakers to policy entrepreneur outreach in the case of one such emerging technical domain, artificial intelligence (AI) policy. In partnership with a leading AI think tank, we contact more than 7,300 United States state-level policymakers to share one of several messages about AI policy. Legislators are block randomized into treatment groups and receive e-mail communications that emphasize one of several influence strategies (narrative or expertise-focused messages or a generic outreach message), as well as one of two prominent issue frames about AI (emphasizing either economic and technological competition or social and ethical implications of AI). To measure policymaker engagement as an indicator of influence, we use several measures, including clicking on links to further resources, replying to the email, and expressing interest in and attending a webinar.

We find that both narratives and expert information are more effective in gaining the attention of policymakers as compared to generic policy entrepreneur outreach. Strikingly, narratives are just as effective as expertise. Further, we find that high capacity legislatures and those without prior experience in AI policy are especially likely to engage with both narratives and expert information about AI. By revealing the relative importance of reason (expertise) against passion (narratives) for highly technical policy domains, this study advances efforts to bridge scholarship on narratives with policy entrepreneurship and its influence on agenda-setting.

Authors

• Daniel S. Schiff, Purdue University

• Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Yale University