Researcher Looks at Healthy Changes Through a Political Lens
In Governing With Words: The Political Dialogue on Race, Public Policy and Inequality in America, Daniel Gillion says politicians are sharers of health information with the potential to increase awareness of health issues and advise minorities on best practices.
Gillion, an associate professor of political science, focuses his research on racial and ethnic politics, political behavior, public opinion, and the American presidency.
Governing With Words features Gillion’s analysis of political discussions about health in African-American and Latino magazines including Essence, Ebony, Black Enterprise, Hispanic, and Hispanic Times. The book documents the direct influence that politicians’ race-conscious speeches have had on government productivity, on transforming societal behavior, and on social change, especially in improving health disparities and awareness about health concerns that are prominent in the minority community.
“Race-conscious political discussions in government must continue with either a race-based or class-based policy approach,” Gillion says. “Otherwise, improvements in racial inequality in America stagnate.”
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