Testing the Theory of Dominant Institutionalized Policy Narratives Using Florida’S “Stand Your Ground” Discourse

TESTING THE THEORY OF DOMINANT INSTITUTIONALIZED POLICY NARRATIVES USING FLORIDA’S “STAND YOUR GROUND” DISCOURSE by Amanda Gillespie A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The College of Design and Social Inquiry in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2014 © Copyright by Amanda L. Gillespie 2014 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I first want to thank God for giving me the strength to persevere. I know truly that with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. I want to thank my committee members Dr. Miller, Dr. Cory-Scruggs, and Dr. Leip, for agreeing to work with me even though I was no longer in Florida full-time. To my husband Alan, I know that we have had some difficult times as we went through your quest to get promoted and my pursuit of my Ph.D. Thank you so much for sticking it out. I promise it is finally our time to live the life that we both deserve. Additionally, I want to thank my parents Dr. Clifton and Vivian Montgomery Jr., for all of your financial and emotional support over my entire academic career. I do not take for granted all of the sacrifices that you both have made for me. To my support system Andrea, Shamir, Samar, Gabrielle, and Rhonda your support is beyond words. I love you all. To my nieces Olivia, Taylor, Meighan, Sophia, and Caleigh and my handsome nephew Kerrington, I want you all to know that I did this for you. I wanted you to know that with faith in God and hard work, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! iv ABSTRACT Author: Amanda Gillespie Title: Testing the Theory of Dominant Institutionalized Policy Narratives using Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Discourse Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Hugh Miller Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2014 Narratives are a very important part of public policy negotiations and deliberations. Public policy research has shown that policy narratives are manipulated to fit the motives of the creators and enforcers of that narrative (Stone, 2002). The creators and enforcers of these narratives use symbols, language, and other techniques to ensure that the narrative survives and dominates the political and social environment by becoming the favored policy prescription (Stone, 2002; Miller, 2012; Jones & McBeth, 2010; Schneider & Ingram, 1993). This study employs a qualitative content analysis to trace the genealogy of the following narratives that make up the “Stand Your Ground” discourse from 2005-2013: (1) Prosecutorial Discretion Narrative, (2) Vigilante Justice Narrative, (3) Race Narrative, and (4) Law-abiding Citizen Narrative. The “Stand Your Ground” discourse is used to v test what this dissertation terms the “institutionalized policy narrative” thesis which states, Policymakers and policy advocates use policy narratives which consist of powerful symbols, politically motivated language, and ideographs to both shape and respond to public opinions by appealing to both the heart and intellect of the public. Once a winning narrative becomes institutionalized it is nearly impossible to replace that winning narrative even in the wake of a powerful new emerging narrative. vi TESTING THE THEORY OF DOMINANT INSTITUTIONALIZED POLICY NARRATIVES USING FLORIDA’S “STAND YOUR GROUND” DISCOURSE LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Why “Stand Your Ground” .......................................................................................................... 3 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................ 4 Research Questions ...................................................................................................................... 5 Data and Methods ........................................................................................................................ 5 Rationale for Study ...................................................................................................................... 7 Structure of the Dissertation ........................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................. 9 Stages model of policy making .................................................................................................... 9 Narrative turn in public administration and policy .................................................................... 11 Scope of this dissertation ........................................................................................................... 13 Policy narratives defined ........................................................................................................... 14 Lifeblood of politics .............................................................................................................. 15 Tools of regulation ................................................................................................................ 16 Narratives explain and provide meaning ............................................................................... 17 Narratives lead to action ........................................................................................................ 18 Narratives define problems .................................................................................................... 18 Narrative enforcers .................................................................................................................... 20 Narrative Policy Analysis .......................................................................................................... 21 Narrative Policy Framework ...................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology ................................................................ 26 Genealogical Approach .............................................................................................................. 26 Content Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 27 Search Terms ......................................................................................................................... 28 Data Sources .......................................................................................................................... 30 Sampling Size Limitations .................................................................................................... 31 Coding Schema ...................................................................................................................... 32 Data Management and Analysis ................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 4: Genealogy of “Stand Your Ground” law ........................................................ 36 Castle Doctrine .......................................................................................................................... 36 A Powerful Narrative ............................................................................................................ 38 Stand Your Ground .................................................................................................................... 38 National Rifle Association (NRA) ........................................................................................ 41 “Stand Your Ground” Opposition .............................................................................................. 43 The Brady Campaign ............................................................................................................. 44 vii The Rise of a Counter-Narrative ........................................................................................... 46 Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection ........................................................................ 47 Zimmerman’s Verdict and America’s Outrage ..................................................................... 49 Chapter 5: Data and Findings ........................................................................................... 52 Prosecutorial Discretion Narrative ............................................................................................. 52 Why the narrative works ....................................................................................................... 58 Weakness of the narrative ..................................................................................................... 59 Vigilante Justice Narrative ......................................................................................................... 60 Deputizing Citizens ............................................................................................................... 62 Getting away with murder ....................................................................................................

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