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Public information campaigns as policy instruments

Author

Listed:
  • Janet A. Weiss

    (Professor of Organizational Behavior and Public Policy in the Institute of Public Policy Studies and in the School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan)

  • Mary Tschirhart

    (Assistant Professor on the Policy and Administration faculty of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University)

Abstract

Considerable controversy surrounds public information campaigns: government-directed and sponsored efforts to communicate to large numbers of citizens in order to achieve a policy result, or what might be called government propaganda. We analyze the use of campaigns as policy instruments in three ways: (1) effectiveness in achieving substantive outcomes; (2) political benefits for public officials; and (3) consequences for democratic processes. Our review of 100 campaigns from these three perspectives reveals significant advantages and disadvantages of using campaigns in practice. We conclude that the advantages of public information campaigns justify their use as policy intruments when used appropriately and with care to mitigate the disadvantages.

Suggested Citation

  • Janet A. Weiss & Mary Tschirhart, 1994. "Public information campaigns as policy instruments," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 82-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:13:y:1994:i:1:p:82-119
    DOI: 10.2307/3325092
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    Cited by:

    1. Carrieri, Vincenzo & Principe, Francesco, 2022. "WHO and for how long? An empirical analysis of the consumers’ response to red meat warning," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    2. Tjaden, Jasper & Dunsch, Felipe Alexander, 2021. "The effect of peer-to-peer risk information on potential migrants – Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    3. Gary T. Henry & Craig S. Gordon, 2003. "Driving less for better air: Impacts of a public information campaign," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 45-63.
    4. Wiser, R. H., 2000. "The role of public policy in emerging green power markets: an analysis of marketer preferences," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 177-212, June.
    5. Bonnet, Céline & Coinon, Marine, 2024. "Environmental co-benefits of health policies to reduce meat consumption: A narrative review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    6. Etienne, Julien, 2010. "The impact of regulatory policy on individual behaviour: a goal framing theory approach," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 36541, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Chung, Younshik & Kim, Hyun, 2015. "Deep subterranean railway system: Acceptability assessment of the public discourse in the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 82-94.
    8. repec:ces:ifosdt:v:72:y:2019:i:16:p:65-69 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Palm, Alvar & Lantz, Björn, 2020. "Information dissemination and residential solar PV adoption rates: The effect of an information campaign in Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    10. Onur Altındağ & Jane Greve & Erdal Tekin, 2024. "Public Health Policy at Scale: Impact of a Government-Sponsored Information Campaign on Infant Mortality in Denmark," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(3), pages 882-893, May.
    11. Chowdhury, Shyamal & Singh, Prachi, 2023. "Information Campaign on Arsenic Poisoning: Unintended Consequences in Marriage Market," IZA Discussion Papers 16214, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Shen, Shiran V & Wang, Qi & Zhang, Bing, 2023. "Regularized Campaigns as a New Institution for Effective Governance," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt0d83b2rw, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    13. Bonnet, Céline & Réquillart, Vincent, 2011. "Strategic Pricing and Health Price Policies," IDEI Working Papers 671, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse, revised Jul 2012.
    14. Stephanie L. Chan, 2021. "The Social Value of Public Information When Not Everyone is Privately Informed," Working Papers 2021-09-18, Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics (WISE), Xiamen University.
    15. Chuanshen Qin & Jianhua Xu & Gabrielle Wong‐Parodi & Lan Xue, 2020. "Change in Public Concern and Responsive Behaviors Toward Air Pollution Under the Dome," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(10), pages 1983-2001, October.
    16. Laurent Van Malderen & Bart Jourquin & Isabelle Thomas & Thomas Vanoutrive & Ann Verhetsel & Frank Witlox, 2011. "Employer Mobility Plans: Acceptability, Efficiency And Costs," ERSA conference papers ersa10p291, European Regional Science Association.
    17. Perri 6 & Charlotte Fletcher‐Morgan & Kate Leyland, 2010. "Making People More Responsible: The Blair Governments' Programme for Changing Citizens' Behaviour," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(3), pages 427-449, June.
    18. Piehlmaier, Dominik M. & Stagno, Emanuela & Nagy, Agnes, 2023. "Overconfidence at the time of COVID-19:Does it lead to laxer attitudes?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    19. Onur Altındağ & Jane Greve & Erdal Tekin, 2024. "Public Health Policy at Scale: Impact of a Government-Sponsored Information Campaign on Infant Mortality in Denmark," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(3), pages 882-893, May.
    20. Venizelou, Venizelos & Makrides, George & Efthymiou, Venizelos & Georghiou, George E., 2020. "Methodology for deploying cost-optimum price-based demand side management for residential prosumers," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 228-240.
    21. Xin Yue & Kaining Mu & Lihang Liu, 2020. "Selection of Policy Instruments on Integrated Care in China: Based on Documents Content Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-17, March.
    22. Bonnet, Céline & Réquillart, Vincent, 2013. "Tax incidence with strategic firms in the soft drink market," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 77-88.
    23. Michael Howlett, 2014. "From the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ policy design: design thinking beyond markets and collaborative governance," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 47(3), pages 187-207, September.
    24. Samantha Majic, 2017. "Sending a Dear John Letter: Public Information Campaigns and the Movement to “End Demand” for Prostitution in Atlanta, GA," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-22, November.

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