Burnett, R: Policy Change and Wildlife Policy in the America

In the wildlife policy arena, ballot initiatives have been used increasingly over the past two decades to wrest control of policy from legislators and bureaucrats. This trend has led to dramatic changes in policy as professionals are forced to adapt to changing political winds and accept the growing role of the public in setting policy. This book examines the effectiveness of a model of policy change developed in the early 1990s by two political scientists, Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones, to explain how the growing use of ballot initiatives has had a dramatic effect on wildlife policy. Three case studies involving hunting policy are examined. One examines mourning dove hunting in Ohio, the second examines mountain lion hunting in California, and the third examines black bear hunting in Colorado. The author finds that breaking the policy monopoly of wildlife agencies and hunting groups can be surprisingly easy once the public is mobilized. The initiative plays a key role in this mobilization. However, the hunting establishment can fight back and win if it controls the advertising message and has superior financial resources.