Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Committee Chair
Jeffrey Worsham
Committee Co-Chair
John Kilwein
Committee Member
John Kilwein
Committee Member
Matthew Jacobsmeier
Committee Member
Simon Haeder
Committee Member
L. Chris Plein
Abstract
This dissertation focuses on shifts in issue attention in the policy process and examines policy changes. Describing agenda setting is important not only for understanding congressional behavior in general but also for understanding the institutional context of other political behavior. I focus on the processes of positive feedback to explain periods of dramatic policy changes observed over a long period of time.
The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in the politics of health policy which opened the door to women’s health care as an important feature of health politics. Thus, my research is motivated by three questions: (1) How do women’s health concerns get on the agenda? (2) Does positive feedback through legislative entrepreneurship and composition of Congress shift attention? (3) How has women’s health care policy evolved over time? The results of this study not only contribute to the agenda setting literature but also have important implications for practitioners, professional organizations and associations, researchers, patients, and others who contribute to the policy community.
Recommended Citation
Fisher, Kara Anne, "Following the Leaders: Issue Attention and Agenda Dynamics in Women’s Health Care Policy" (2019). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4072.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4072