Policies opposed by majorities require explanations beyond simple electoral incentives.

Evidence

In the cases where a government initiates and actively promotes a policy that is opposed by the majority, we must indeed seek explanations outside of simple electoral math. Maybe the policy would give economic benefits that can be used to pursue other, more popular ends? Maybe the government misread opinion? Maybe powerful interest groups were able to pressure the government? — Mikael Persson and Anders Sundell, Blocking the Poor, 31

Categorization

• QUESTION: The list of candidate mechanisms is left open — worth testing which of these actually drives minority-aligned policy initiation.
• SEED: Article angle: ‘Why do governments pass laws most people hate?’ — cataloguing the handful of real mechanisms behind unpopular-but-active policy pushes.