The Overton window is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time.[1] It is also known as the window of discourse.
The term is named after the American policy analyst and former senior vice president at Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Joseph Overton, who proposed that an idea's political viability depends mainly on whether it falls within this range, rather than on politicians' individual preferences.[2][3] According to Overton, the window frames the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme to gain or keep public office given the climate of public opinion at that time.[4]
- ^ Giridharadas, Anand (21 November 2019). "How America's Elites Lost Their Grip". TIME. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Joseph P. Overton". Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "A Brief Explanation of the Overton Window". Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Astor, Maggie (26 February 2019). "How the Politically Unthinkable Can Become Mainstream". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024.