Public Protest And Public Policy: The Anti‐Apartheid Movement And Political Innovation

With the Comprehensive Anti‐apartheid Act of 1986, Congress instituted economic sanctions against South Africa, thereby reversing the historic course of U. S. foreign policy. This political innovation constituted a great victory for minority interests. This article utilizes the agenda‐setting literature to examine the relationship between Anti‐apartheid movement activity in the United States and adoption of economic sanctions against South Africa. The analysis is based upon an events data set consisting of 1353 events appearing in the New York Times between 1960 and 1986, interviews with activists and legislators, and archived materials. The ar‐ ticle concludes that although the Anti‐apartheid movement was only in‐ directly involved in moving sanctions legislation to the policy agenda, the movement exerted direct influence in the policy process once the legislation had agenda status.