Research On The Political Dynamics Of School Choice Policy In The United States

This dissertation focuses on the issue of political dynamics of school choice policy in the United States. The core question of this dissertation is that who advocates the school choice policy in the United States. Based on the American unique political system and culture, this paper presents theoretical hypothesis that the political dynamics of this policy are from those key policy actors who are protected by the Constitution as well as have resources, ideas, interests, and political power to pursue this policy. According to the nature of research question, objects and hypotheses, drawing on the Advocacy Coalition Framework from Paul Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith, absorbing advocacy coalition framework on school choice policy applying by Janelle Scott et al., and learning from other related studies, this paper promotes a new analytical framework on school choice policy.This paper probes political dynamics of school choice policy from two dimensions and four aspects. The first dimension is non-government arena. In this dimension, this paper examines three aspects of political powers including resources, ideas and interests and asks that how foundations, as a kind of philanthropy, advocate school choice policy through granting, how think tanks, as a kind of research institution, advocate school choice policy via influencing the ideas, how advocacy organizations, as a kind of coalition, advocate school choice policy by fighting for their interests and rights. The other dimension is government arena. In this dimension, this paper focuses on last aspect of political dynamics, which is that how politicians and governments use their political resources and power to push forward this policy in political arena by respecting public opinions. The author deems that respectively behalf on wealth, scholarship, grassroots, and governments, foundations, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and politicians are four main political dynamics of school choice policy in the United States. Each chapter of this dissertation aims at each aspects.This paper uses mixed research method of quantitative research and qualitative research. In using quantitative research method, this paper identifies research questions, refers theoretical hypotheses, collects data and information, analysis and interprets them. In qualitative research methods, this paper mainly uses case study method, which selects three think tanks, three advocacy organizations, a city and a state that both implementing school choice policy and other politicians supporting this policy issue as cases. Through analyzing these cases, data and information, this paper testifies foundations, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and politicians are four main political dynamics of school choice policy in the United States. Research data and information are mainly from the Foundation Center, the Internal Revenue Service, the Census Bureau, official websites of think tanks and advocacy organizations, ERIC database, and other research papers and reports.