Catalysts have heavily contingent causal power – they ‘are not driving forces like material conditions, interests, or ideas’ but move things forward only when deeper forces and conditions align. The press is such a catalyst, headlining some issues while relegating others to the pack pages. Obviously, more systematic analysis would allow us to take such vague claims and identify more precisely whether catalytic events are necessary for policy action, what types are most influential and what factors and processes condition their influence.
