Policy fatalism: when the public thinks nothing can be done
本文提出“政策宿命论”概念，指公众认为某些社会问题无法通过政策解决。基于英国和澳大利亚调查，发现对气候变化、购房和经济衰退的宿命态度普遍，且与教育水平、意识形态和媒体信任相关，导致对民主的幻灭但不促发个人行动。
The article establishes the concept of policy fatalism, defined as the view that some societal issues are so intractable that no policy measures can be effectively taken to resolve them. It does so by distinguishing it from other well-known concepts and demarcating policy fatalism as a concept in contrast with a focus on personal fatalism applied in other studies. The concept finds empirical support through representative surveys in Britain and Australia that show a high proportion of people in both countries are fatalistic about the prospects for dealing with climate change but also for securing homeownership for future generations and avoiding economic slumps. We test for a range of correlates of policy fatalism, finding that those with lower formal education and those on the ideological right are more fatalistic, as are those that trust traditional media. Those expressing personal fatalism about their lives are not more fatalistic over policy. Exploring the consequences, we find that policy fatalism leads to greater disenchantment with democratic rule yet does not inspire greater personal action. We argue that policy fatalism is distinct from established concepts and connects policy studies to wider debates about a trend towards fatalism in society and its role in politics.