Some Praxiological Reflections on the So-Called ‘Overton Window of Political Possibilities’,‘Framing’ and Related Problems

Abstract

The so-called ‘Overton Window of Political Possibilities’ originates from a concept named after Joseph P. Overton and is based on the assumption that any collection of public policies within a policy area can be arranged in order from more free to less free. At any one time, some group of adjacent policies along the freedom spectrum fall into a ‘window of political possibility’. Policies inside the window are politically acceptable, meaning officeholders believe they can support the policies and survive the next election.