EOTO 2 "Overton Window"

                           Overton Window 

The Overton window is a political science concept that refers to the "windows" that the public will accept. Many ideas and policies are societally influenced by politics. 

In the late nineties, Joseph P. Overton created this theory which he shared with the public. In Michigan, he worked for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy until he passed away in 2003. He used this theory and influenced society as the main relationship focus between buyers and sellers. 

The Overton window focuses on a certain policy that would be represented on a model scale. On one end, the government supports and advocates a policy with no governmental support. This theory is ever-changing which means that a window can increase or decrease according to the public's opinions. 

How does a presidential candidate know what political ideas they will advocate for? Think about this, if a presidential candidate is running for an election or reelection, in order to get the public's approval, the candidate would want to consider the most popular policies in society. 

Policies in the Overton window are inside the graph forming a box on the line. If the candidate chooses to support any policy not in the Overton window, the fear would be that the public would disapprove, causing them to lose interest. The policies that lie outside the window would be negative for the candidate as the policies inside the window would be positive for the candidate.

The Overton window can change over time due to the age or the decade of society that would rely on the public's values and opinions. The two examples below focus on a past and present example of the Overton window. 

Women's Suffrage was a movement that earned women the right to vote. Before the 1920s, the "window" was placed, and understood that "no woman had a right to vote" in an election. Once women fought for their freedoms and won the "window" was placed at "all women have the right to vote" due to societal change. 

Let's look at a present-day example using the right to bear arms which today is considered controversial, depending on a person's definition of political correctness. The window will lie in the middle at "any citizen can own a firearm" due to the popularity of the public. 

So, presidential candidates are most likely going to support a policy that is in the Overton Window in order to increase the number of voters. However, this may potentially cause them to not support or advocate for their own values and beliefs. Politicians can easily identify and decipher the Overton Window where they are represented as followers instead of leaders. 

The Overton window is vastly different in America as a capitalist "free country" compared to China's dictatorship. What is acceptable, depends upon culture and societal norms that are determined by the amount of government involvement.  

The public's opinions and values are focused on societal movements that are based on families, workforces, social media, news outlets, and the most popular ideas that lie on the left-right sides of the political spectrum. 

Every year a policy can change. If the policy is in the Overton window one year, it might not be in the window the next because it is dependent solely upon the public's reactions. The Overton window concept helps politicians and business owners determine the most popular and acceptable ideas and theories based on the current society's perception.