Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Political Science
Date of Defense
4-15-2020
Graduate Advisor
Todd Swanstrom
Committee
David Kimball
Dave Robertson
Anita Manion
Abstract
The disruptive arrival of Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network companies (TNCs) into American cities ignited arguments on how policy-makers should regulate such entities. Policy debates started among policymakers, companies, and existing industries and interests. In attempts to persuade policy, actors adopted a variety of language and used different levels of government to achieve policy goals. In almost all cases, TNCs were able to gain favorable policy through image framing and venue shopping – the key components to Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET). This analysis looks at the policy process of three American cities: Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, and Austin, TX. Transportation network companies framed the issue favorably to their policy demands, winning over the public, drivers, and policymakers in most cases. However, when the political climate was harsher for TNCs, they sought sympathy from policy makers in different regulator institutions. Conversely, taxi interests were unable to use the same tactics to achieve their demands. I argue that this is due to TNC’s ability to appeal to framing suitable for target audiences, mainly free-market, business-friendly, and tech-savvy language. This language appealed to mayors, city council members, and state lawmakers, making TNCs able to “shop” from one level of government to another to achieve lax regulation and company oversight.
Recommended Citation
Painter, Mary Angelica, "Curb-sided: How Technology Disrupts the American Transportation Planning Process" (2020). Dissertations. 932.
https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/932
Included in
American Politics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Transportation Commons, Urban Studies Commons