Incrementalism and Policymaking On Television Violence

Abstract

Since the early days of television, Congress has shown concern over violent programming, but has employed a limited range of strategies and taken few legislative actions to deal with television violence. The incremental model of policymaking, which predicts that most policy changes are likely to be small, offers some explanations for why this might be so. This article applies the incremental model to congressional activities related to television violence and offers some potential explanations for why Congress shifted from relying primarily on a " regulation by the raised eyebrow" approach for several decades to a more proactive, regulatory approach in the 1990s. Finally, the article argues that given the various competing interests at stake, the actions Congress has taken have been reasonable and appropriate, if not entirely effective.