What sort of ideas become public ideas?

Abstract

CERTAIN NORMATIVE IDEAS ARE PARTICULARLY POWERFUL FOR ORGANIZING HOW PEOPLE THINK ABOUT PUBLIC PROBLEMS AND FOR MOBILIZING THEM TO TAKE ACTION. THIS CHAPTER EXPLORES FOUR SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS: WHERE DO WE SEE THE EFFECTS OF THESE IDEAS? HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ANY OBSERVED EFFECTS ARE THE EFFECTS OF PUBLIC IDEAS AND NOT PRIVATE INTERESTS? WHAT SORTS OF IDEAS BECOME IMPORTANT? AND HOW CAN SUCH IDEAS BE CREATED? IF ONE THINKS OF PUBLIC POLICY AS IDEAS THAT HAVE POWER IN GUIDING PUBLIC ACTIONS RATHER THAN AS AN ABSTRACT SET OF TECHIQUES FOR DEVELOPING TESTING IDEAS, THEN THESE QUESTIONS ARE THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL IN THE FIELD