Ulteriori informazioni
In this book, Yuval Feinstein examines the "rally-round-the-flag" phenomenon in public opinion in the United States, which shows a sudden and sharp increase in the public approval ratings of the sitting presidents in response to a war or security crisis. One of the most extensive investigation of the rally phenomenon to date, Feinstein covers the administrations of thirteen US presidents, from Harry Truman to Donald Trump, seeking to understand why some wars and security crises have led the public to rally behind the sitting president, but other wars and security crises did not have a similar impact on the public assessment of the president.
Sommario
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- INTRODUCTION
- Chapter 1. The Puzzling Rally-round-the-Flag Phenomenon
- PART I. THEORY
- Chapter 2. The Rally Phenomenon in Light of Competing Approaches to Public Opinion
- Chapter 3. Why do People Really Rally? Context, Actors, Meaning. and Emotions
- PART II. INVESTIGATION
- Chapter 4. A Plan for Solving the Rally Puzzle
- Chapter 5. Saving the Nation's Face: Rallies in Militarized Conflicts
- Chapter 6. Standing Up Proudly: Rallies in the Aftermath of an Attack on the Nation
- Chapter 7. On the Verge of a Rally: Borderline Cases
- Chapter 8. Chivalrous Struggles: Rallies for Saving the Free World
- Chapter 9. War that Feels Good: The Role of Emotions in the Emergence of Rally Periods
- CONCLUSION
- Chapter 10. Moving Forward: Directions for Future Research on the Rally-round-the-Flag Phenomenon
- Appendix
- Notes
- References
- Index
Info autore
Yuval Feinstein is Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Haifa and a Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. His research examines the ways ethnic and national identities affect people's attitudes about peace and war, ethnic minorities and other policy issues in settled and during crisis.
Riassunto
An extensive investigation of the rally-round-the-flag phenomenon of public opinion in the United States during wars and security crises.
The "rally-round-the-flag" phenomenon in the United States is characterized by a sudden and sharp increase in the public approval rating of the sitting US president in response to a war or security crisis. While relatively uncommon, these moments can have a serious impact on policymaking as politicians might escalate a conflict abroad or restrict civil liberties at home. What, then, are the conditions and processes through which rallies have emerged?
In Rally 'round the Flag, Yuval Feinstein revisits the phenomenon to answer this question. He examines both the conditions under which rally periods have emerged in the US and the processes that have generated these rallies to introduce a novel rally theory. Drawing on an original data set of conflicts covering 1950 to 2020 and survey data, Feinstein shows that the rally-round-the-flag effect is not an automatic public reaction to international conflicts. Rather, it is a rare event that emerges only under circumstances that lead most Americans to believe it is necessary to take military action to maintain or restore collective honor and gain the respect of other nations. He further attributes public opinion shifts during rally periods to nationalist emotions that people experience when they believe that the president's actions effectively protect the nation's honor and international prestige.
Identifying the unique sets of conditions for the emergence of rallies, Rally 'round the Flag offers the most extensive investigation of this public opinion phenomenon and proposes future directions to research the topic for both the United States and other countries.
Testo aggiuntivo
Rally 'round the Flag will be valued as much as a methodological template for future work on rally effects asit will be for its theoretical contributions.
