Symbolic Opposition to the USA Patriot Act

Abstract

In this project, Slomczynski asks what prompts some local governments but not others to engage in such symbolic protest. While most research into protest examines actions such as meetings, demonstrations and strikes on behalf of a specific constituency, much less attention has been paid to protest within state structures. Yet such protest can have great influence over national policy, including security policy. Slomczynski answers his question by using the rubric of policy innovation, or the adoption of rules by legislative units for whom those rules are new.