The Politics of Policy Backlash in the U.S. Since 1960

• In Event: Mobilization, Countermobilization, and Backlash in the U.S. Policy State

Abstract

The most successful policies not only solve problems, they also build supportive coalitions and become self-reinforcing. But policies do not always cultivate clienteles or produce positive feedback. Sometimes they trigger backlash, constructing or mobilizing forces of opposition. This paper defines backlash as a negative feedback process in which policies endogenously generate political pressure in a reactive direction. I discuss the policy characteristics that lead to backlash, the many different forms that backlashes and countermobilizations can take, and the downstream consequences of backlash politics for governance. Drawing on an analysis of more than 1,000 New York Times articles about backlash episodes since the battles over civil rights in the 1960s through the backlash against the Trump Administration’s family separation policy, I show that backlash forces have diffused across U.S. policy arenas over time, are associated with partisan polarization and the increasing role of government, are mainly conservative, and have enlisted the participation of a wide range of actors, including voters, businesses, unions, and social movements.

Author

• Eric M. Patashnik, Brown University