Premium
Framing U.S. Redistributive Policies: Tough Love for Poor Women and Tax Cuts for Seniors
Author(s) -
Limbert Wendy M.,
Bullock Heather E.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
analyses of social issues and public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1530-2415
pISSN - 1529-7489
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-2415.2009.01189.x
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , newspaper , welfare , framing effect , economics , dividend , inequality , economic inequality , public economics , labour economics , demographic economics , political science , psychology , social psychology , market economy , law , finance , history , mathematical analysis , mathematics , persuasion , archaeology
In recent years, income inequality in the U.S. has risen to historically high levels. Redistributive policies that differentially benefit lower‐ versus upper‐income households play a significant role in the widening economic gap. A discourse analysis of 284 articles from five major U.S. newspapers was conducted to examine dominant media framing of the Bush administration's welfare reauthorization proposal and the 2003 dividend tax cuts. Guided by critical theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001; Wing, 1997 ), we found that dominant issue frames favored reduced support for progressive welfare policies and increased support for tax cuts. Implications for pursuing an economic justice agenda are discussed.