Citation

Butz AM, Fix MP, Mitchell JL. Polit. Policy 2015; 43(3): 347-377.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Policy Studies Organization (USA), Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/polp.12116

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Stand-Your-Ground (SYG) laws have recently received increased attention due to the controversial verdict in the 2013 George Zimmerman trial. At the time of the trial, 22 states had adopted SYG laws, with Florida adopting the first SYG law only a few years earlier. This article explores how policy learning contributed to the diffusion of these laws among U.S. states. It is found that learning exhibits atypical and complex patterns of diffusion not observed in previous studies. We posit that this dynamic is likely attributed to the fact that SYG is a controversial version of a morality policy, and these types of policies may exhibit multiple properties of policy learning theory. In addition, we find that multiple internal determinants including racial context, gun purchase rates, and poverty influence the likelihood of SYG adoption.

Language: en