Joseph Overton observed that when public

policies in a given area, such as education,

are arranged from freest to least free, only a
relatively narrow window of options will be
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considered politically acceptable. This
window of politically acceptable policies is
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not defined primarily by what politicians
would prefer; rather, it is defined by what Address 1
they believe they can support and still win re-
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new policies or exclude old ones not when

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ideas change among politicians, but when
ideas change in the society that elects them.
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Click for essays on the Overton Window and freedom

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Learn How the Overton Window Relates to the Struggle for Freedom!
Special essays that can be e-mailed to you!

“Civil Society: Moral Arguments for Limiting Government”: The Overton Window model
suggests that the key to changing government policy lies in changing the views of the public.

This, however, takes more than facts and logic. As Mackinac Center President Joseph G.

Lehman argues in this essay, winning the battle for people’s hearts and minds through

“economic analysis alone is like bringing a knife to a gun fight.”  E -mail me free copies of
this and the other special essays!

“The Inspiring Story of Thomas Clarkson”: There may be no greater example of shifting
the Overton Window than the story of the man most responsible for ending slavery in the

British Empire: Thomas Clarkson. Dedicating himself to abolition in 1785 and triumphing

against impossible odds, Clarkson toiled for decades to organize a nationwide citizens’  

movement that transformed public opinion through books, pamphlets, research, petitions,

lawsuits, mailings, gatherings and commercial art. In this moving monograph, Mackinac Center
President Emeritus Lawrence W. Reed brings Clarkson’s story to life. E -mail me free copies of this

and the other special essays!

“Government, Poverty and Self-R e l i a n c e”: The Overton Window model tells us that
when society unites behind sound principles, its political servants will too. In this eye-

opening essay, Mackinac Center President Emeritus Lawrence W. Reed unearths the
remarkable consistency and eloquence with which 19th century presidents fought poverty

by opposing 20th century-style welfare programs. E -mail me free copies of this and the

other special essays!

“Great Myths of the Great Depression”: Eighty years ago, the Overton Window shifted
decidedly toward government intervention in the American economy. According to the
popular view, this transformation occurred because capitalism failed and precipitated an

economic collapse. But in this monograph, Mackinac Center President Emeritus

Lawrence W. Reed questions this narrative and suggests the trend toward government

intervention continued not because of the government’s successes, but because of its failures. E -m a i l

me free copies of this and the other special essays!

“Investing in Ideas”: If the views of society shift the Overton Window, then what shifts the
views of society? The answer, writes Mackinac Center President Emeritus Lawrence W. Reed,

is ideas. In this cogent and compact essay, Reed argues that ideas are more powerful than

armies — and that anyone who wants to invest in society should invest in ideas first. E -m a i l

me free copies of this and the other special essays!

A Brief Explanation of the Overton Window

By Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy

You've probably had this experience at some point: You've read about a great new idea for

reforming government policy and thought, "This makes so much sense; why don't

lawmakers just do it?" But months pass, and you don't hear politicians even discuss the

idea, let alone act on it.

There's a reason: Ideas take time to produce changes in policy. This can be frustrating,

but it also means that ideas policymakers refuse to countenance now may yet — w i t h

patience — become law.

The migration from mere ideas

to the law of the land can be

described by a model called the

Overton Window. This is the

term my colleagues and I gave

EXAMPLES: EDUCATION ENERGY WEAPONS WELFARE
to a theory of change developed

You can conceptualize changes in public opinion and political by the Mackinac Center's late
acceptability with this interactive gadget. Move the window by vice president, Joseph Overton.
clicking inside the blue box; resize the window by clicking on
After Joe died in 2003, I built a
the edge of the blue box.
presentation around his idea,

Least government intervention and I still use it to show how

Most freedom t h i n k tanks can shift public

policy.

No government schools Joe shared his abstract

Parents pay for only the education they choose concept with me in the mid-

1990s. He observed that any

Private and home schools monitored, not regulated
collection of public policies
Tuition tax credits
within a policy area, such as
Tuition vouchers
education, can be arranged in
Private and home schooling moderately regulated order from more free to less
Charter schools free (or from less government

Public‐school choice intervention to more). To avoid

State‐mandated curricula
comparison with the left-right

political spectrum, he arranged

Private and home schooling highly regulated;
parents pay twice the policies from bottom (less

free) to top (more free).

Home schooling illegal

Private schools illegal At any one time, some group of

Compulsory indoctrination in government schools adjacent policies along the

freedom spectrum fall into a

"window of political p o s s i b i l i t y . "

Most government intervention Policies inside the window are
Least freedom politically acceptable, meaning

officeholders believe they can

You can conceptualize changes in public opinion and political support the policies and survive
acceptability with this interactive gadget. Move the window by
the next election. Policies
clicking inside the blue box; resize the window by clicking on
outside the window, either
the edge of the blue box.
higher or lower, are politically
Least government intervention unacceptable at the moment. If
Most freedom you shift the position or size of

the window, you change what is

politically possible.
No government ownership, control
or monitoring of energy markets
Many believe that politicians
Government monitors open competition in energy markets
move the window, but that's
Energy firms somewhat regulated; no subsidies actually rare. In our

Energy firms highly regulated; “alternative energy” subsidized understanding, politicians

Government allows only a few market competitors, approves rates typically don't determine what

is politically acceptable; more

Government protects monopoly energy suppliers, sets rates
often they react to it and
Government-protected energy monopolies highly regulated;
alternative energy mandated and subsidized validate it. Generally speaking,

policy change follows political

Government controls “private” energy firms; consumption rationed
change, which itself follows
All energy provided by government;
“over-consumption” criminalized social change. The m o s t

durable policy changes are

those that are undergirded by

Most government intervention strong social movements.
Least freedom
For example, Prohibition was a

policy change driven by a

You can conceptualize changes in public opinion and political
social movement that did not
acceptability with this interactive gadget. Move the window by

clicking inside the blue box; resize the window by clicking on prove strong enough to sustain

the edge of the blue box. the policy. Certain

 environmental policies that have
Least government intervention
proven durable are backed by
Most freedom
strong social movements that

favor those policies — or at

Anyone can own, trade, and use any weapon least the idea they represent.

Only very powerful weapons restricted,

When social and political
very dangerous people restricted
forces bring about change, the
Most people can carry a weapon without permission
window of political possibility
Governments “shall issue” concealed weapons permits
shifts up or down the spectrum
Governments “may issue” concealed weapons permits; and can also expand to include
tight restrictions
more policy options or shrink to
Only dealers are regulated and registered,
include fewer. The window
not individuals or weapons
presents a menu of policy
Certain broad classes of weapons, like handguns,
registered with government choices to politicians: From

their point of view, relatively

All weapons registered with government
safe choices are inside the
Lots of regulations on possession, trade, and use of weapons
window and politically riskier
Heavy regulations on new guns and owners;
choices (or bolder ones, if you
current guns and owners grandfathered in
prefer) are outside.
Small number of government-approved people may own weapons

All gun trade operated and controlled by government Lawmakers who support

policies outside the window are

Only government can own and use weapons;
private ownership and use is illegal one of two kinds — true leaders

who have the rare ability to

shift the window by themselves,

Most government intervention or politicians who risk electoral
Least freedom defeat because they are

perceived as out of touch. This

You can conceptualize changes in public opinion and political explains why key lawmakers in
acceptability with this interactive gadget. Move the window by
2009 and 2010 were reluctant
clicking inside the blue box; resize the window by clicking on
to support a massive federal
the edge of the blue box.
health care bill seen as
Least government intervention unpopular with the people.
Most freedom Officeholders knew a vote

outside the window would

subject them to the political

All welfare assistance is private—
families, religious organizations, charitable associations Furies, as in fact it has.

Government welfare is generous,

The Overton Window doesn't
but strict requirements for recipients
describe everything, but it
Government welfare is generous,
but lax requirements for recipients describes one big thing:

Politicians will rarely support

Government provides safety net of last resort—
temporary, limited assistance whatever policy they choose

Government welfare is entitlement with few limits or restrictions whenever they choose; rather,

they will do what they feel they

Government more generous;
starts to crowd out private assistance can do without risking electoral

Private assistance highly regulated defeat, given the current

political environment shaped by

Private assistance outlawed
ideas, social movements and

societal sensibilities.

Most government intervention

That's why it's important for the
Least freedom
Mackinac Center and others to

educate citizens on the nation's

founding principles of limited government and free markets. Public policies rooted in t h o s e

ideas produced freedom and prosperity unmatched by any other society in history. The

same policies can return us to prosperity now. A people animated by our nation's founding
 principles will shift the window of political possibility toward greater freedom.

The politicians will ultimately follow.

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To support the Mackinac Center, contribute here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q : What is the Overton Window?

A : The Overton Window of Political Possibility is a model developed to explain public

policy change. When public policies in a given area, such as education or labor, are

arranged from freest to least free, only a relatively narrow window of options will be

considered politically acceptable. This window of politically acceptable policies is not

defined primarily by what politicians would prefer; rather, it is defined by what they believe

they can support and still win re-election. Hence, the window shifts to include new

policies or exclude old ones not when ideas change among politicians, but when ideas
change in the society that elects them.

The Overton Window is described in more detail at the top of this page and in an article

here.

Q : Who created the concept of the Overton Window?

A : The Overton Window was developed in the mid-1990s by the late Joseph P. Overton,

who was senior vice president at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy at the time of his

death in 2003. (For a brief biography and a comprehensive list of Overton's commentaries

and studies, click here. ) Following Overton's passing, the Mackinac Center's current

president, Joseph Lehman, built a presentation around Overton's idea and shared it with
other leaders of state-based free-market think tanks.

Q : Can the Overton Window be shifted by lies, distortions or misunderstandings?

A : Y e s , b u t i t’s obviously wrong to intentionally disseminate misleading information. The

Overton Window reflects what society believes, which can be as easily influenced by truth
and facts as it can be by inaccurate or deceptive information. Even mistakes can shift the

window. The massive underestimate of Medicare costs probably contributed to the

program’s creation in the 1960s. The false belief that weapons of mass destruction would

be found in Iraq contributed to support for that war.

Q : What is the Mackinac Center for Public Policy?

A : The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational

institute dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Michigan citizens by promoting

sound solutions to state and local policy questions. The Mackinac Center assists

policymakers, scholars, business people, the media and the public by providing objective

analysis of Michigan issues. The goal of all Center reports, commentaries and educational

programs is to equip Michigan citizens and other decision makers to better evaluate
policy options. For more information, please click here.

Q : What is the connection between the Mackinac Center and Glenn Beck's new book,

"The Overton Window"?

A : The book is based on Beck’s adaptation of the Overton Window concept developed by

the Mackinac Center, a Michigan think tank. A character in the book reveals the origin of
the concept to be a think tank in the Midwest. The Mackinac Center was not involved in

the creation of the book. Beck's "The Overton Window" is a work of fiction scheduled for

release on June 15, 2010. Beck has discussed the Overton Window concept on his
television show, however, just as others have discussed the idea. It is a testament to the
 vitality of Overton's ideas that years after Overton's passing, a nationally syndicated talk

show host would find the Overton Window compelling and want to share the idea with an
audience of millions.

Q : How can I help the Mackinac Center promote better public policy in Michigan and reach
as many people as possible?

A : The Mackinac Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that depends on

thousands of generous contributors like you. For more information on how you c a n

become a member, please click here.

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Links
  Lehman Discusses the Overton Window on Glenn Beck's Radio Show
     
  An Introduction to the Overton Window of Political Possibilities
  The Overton Window Opens to Another Audience (audio)
  Don't Look Now: Right-t o-Work Is in the Overton Window

   "Like" our Overton Window facebook page.

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