On April 5, thousands will gather in DC for the "Hands Off!" rally against Trump and Musk, organized by progressive groups. Expert David Karpf discusses how protests can lead to government action beyond immediate policy change. He highlights the civil rights movement and the Women's March as examples where mass protests engaged political processes. Karpf's insights indicate that while a single event isn't solely responsible for policy shifts, protests mobilize public engagement and push decision-makers to act in ways they typically wouldn't.
"The better way to look at this is the ways that mass protest end up leading to people in government taking actions that they would not otherwise take... There are measurable effects."
"Even that is a little too simple—the civil rights movement organized for decades, all culminating in the [1963] march, and the march makes a difference. But that march is fitting into a broader movement and campaign; it’s not like the one march alone did it."
Collection
[
|
...
]