Chapter 10, Some Further Reflections, p. 226
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Public policy changes in very large leaps, as in the New Deal of the 1930's, the Great Society of the mid-1960's, and the Reagan revolution of 1981. These spasms of reform are interspersed with periods of rest and stasis, as if the participants are exhausted from their exertion and catching their breath. But in any event, this does not look like Darwinian, gradualistic evolution.
— John W. Kingdon
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Public policy changes in very large leaps, as in the New Deal of the 1930's, the Great Society of the mid-1960's, and the Reagan revolution of 1981. These spasms of reform are interspersed with periods of rest and stasis, as if the participants are exhausted from their exertion and catching their breath. But in any event, this does not look like Darwinian, gradualistic evolution." in the context of "Chapter 10, Some Further Reflections, p. 226" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John W. Kingdon" (Sourced, Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies - (Second Edition))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About John W. Kingdon
John Wells Kingdon (born 1940) is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a Guggenheim fellow.
About John W. Kingdon
John Wells Kingdon (born 1940) is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a Guggenheim fellow.
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