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Race in the War on Drugs: The Social Consequences of Presidential Rhetoric

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  • Jeff Yates
  • Andrew B. Whitford

Abstract

One of the president's main leadership tools for influencing the direction of U.S. legal policy is public rhetoric. Numerous studies have examined the president's use of the “bully pulpit” to lead policy by influencing Congress or public opinion, or by changing the behavior of public agencies. We argue that the president can use rhetoric to change the behavior of public agencies and that this can have important social consequences. We focus on the disproportionate impact of presidential rhetoric on different “target populations” in the context of the War on Drugs. Specifically, we observe that presidential rhetoric had a greater impact on state arrest rates for African Americans than for whites, even when controlling for alternative explanations. These findings suggest that presidential rhetoric is filtered through social constructions of public policy problems when public officials act on them.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeff Yates & Andrew B. Whitford, 2009. "Race in the War on Drugs: The Social Consequences of Presidential Rhetoric," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(4), pages 874-898, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:empleg:v:6:y:2009:i:4:p:874-898
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-1461.2009.01163.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schneider, Anne & Ingram, Helen, 1993. "Social Construction of Target Populations: Implications for Politics and Policy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(2), pages 334-347, June.
    2. Edwards, George C. & Wood, B. Dan, 1999. "Who Influences Whom? The President, Congress, and the Media," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 93(2), pages 327-344, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Barilari & Diego Zambiasi, 2023. "Political Campaigning, and Racial Discrimination in Arrests for Drugs," Trinity Economics Papers tep0223, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.

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