Atlas used concrete success stories to enlarge the perceived scope of politically possible policy

Evidence

Showcasing the concrete results and successes of institutes made it possible to foster a sense of pride and belonging and heighten the perception of an urgent shared project. There were two main channels—the Atlas Highlights newsletter and the workshops. Atlas Highlights identified concrete initiatives, “showing how the institutes in the Atlas network are redefining the boundaries of ‘politically impossible’ policies worldwide.” For example, the strategies by which Atlas and associated think tanks have weighed in on the healthcare and climate change debates since the mid-1980s were given prominence. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 585

Categorization

• SEED: The ‘redefining the boundaries of politically impossible policies’ framing is a strong lens for an essay on how think tanks manufacture policy possibility-space.
• XREF: connects to: The scope of political analysis determines whether change seems possible — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 730; Successful dominant politics must produce recognizable experiences people embrace

Broader Connections

• The scope of political analysis determines whether change seems possible #expands (0.85) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 730
• Successful dominant politics must produce recognizable experiences people embrace #expands (0.75)