Political Science

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that analyses the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.  Using anecdotes and stories about Hush Puppies, Sesame Street and Airwalk sneakers, Gladwell illustrates principles and theories that help to explain how a particular phenomenon reaches the tipping point - that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire. The book was first published in 2000, when it became a national bestseller, sparking shifts in thinking in diverse fields from marketing to public health to legal policy.

Gladwells book traces the biography of social phenomena, explaining how a particular idea or trend starts out, what happens to it and why it suddenly seems to reach a critical mass, and becomes accepted into society. Understanding how this happens can help to create and implement public policy, so as to ensure that policies written by bureaucrats in ivory towers can actually make an impact in the street and in the lives of those they purport to benefit.

The Three Rules of Epidemics
The Tipping Point uses the analogy of an epidemic caused by a virus, and argues that social phenomena spreads the same way a virus does, progressing geometrically, until it seems as if the effect is quite out of proportion to the original cause (Gladwell, 2000, p11). This happens because sometimes quite a small event can lead to a big change, a fact that is often difficult for people to accept. Gladwell states that epidemics are a function of the people who transmit infectious agents, the infectious agent itself and the environment in which the infectious agent is operating (Gladwell, 2000, p18). These functions thus form the rules of epidemics, which are further explained below.

The Law of the Few
Gladwells first rule for spreading epidemics focuses on the carriers, the individuals who carry the disease in the case of those spreading HIV or the ones who started to wear Hush Puppies when it was not popular. They are exceptional people, and what makes them especially suited to the role of carrier are their special characteristics  how sociable they are, or how energetic or knowledgeable or influential (Gladwell, 2000, p21). Gladwell calls them connectors - special individuals who know many people, operate in many different spheres and possess unique characteristics that make them qualified to help spread social epidemics. There are also people Gladwell calls mavens, individuals who help consumers to make good choices, those who keep the marketplace honest, with their vast stores of specialized information (Gladwell, 2000, p61). The usefulness of connectors and mavens in helping to implement public policy is thus immense they can help to change social behavior and bring in new norms that otherwise would not be as easily or effectively implemented.

The Stickiness Factor
The second factor that Gladwell discusses is what he terms the stickiness factor, the component that makes a particular message memorable. Whilst the first rule focuses on the carriers of the message, the second rule focuses on the message itself. Gladwell uses examples like the popular childrens television show Sesame Street and the Gold Box campaign for Columbia Records to illustrate that a message can be sticky without either repeating it ad nauseam, or spending a fortune in promoting the message. Often, the messages that stick to the public consciousness are those that are contrary to the norm, that run counter to expectations. This is useful in implementing public policy, because effective campaigns to spread information need not be expensive, as long as they follow Gladwells exhortations on stickiness.

Power of Context
The third factor affecting social epidemics is the context or the environment in which the infectious agent is operating. A powerful message spread by the right connectors will fail to take root if the context is unsuitable. Gladwell uses the example of the drop in the crime rate in New York City in the 1990s to illustrate this point further. He describes the Broken Windows theory, where a broken window signals disrepair and disorder, leading to more broken windows, and then to bigger and bigger crimes (Gladwell, 2000, p141). One of the authors of this theory, George Kelling, was hired as a consultant to help stop the crime epidemic sweeping New York City, and he advocated using the broken window theory to clean up the subway system. By tackling the problem of graffiti and fare-beaters, bigger problems like carrying weapons on the subway ceased to be a problem. The police sent a message to the city that even small offences would not be tolerated, and gradually crime rates for the larger offences began to fall. Gladwell argues that context matters, and that making even small changes to the environment can have a big impact. This principle applies directly to the making of public policy. By making small changes to the environment, social changes can be achieved in society.

Conclusion
Gladwell ends the book with an apt illustration of the real value of the notion of a tipping point  there are times when we need a convenient shortcut, a way to make a lot out of a little (Gladwell, 2000, p257). In the sphere of public policy, social changes are needed in society within the context of resource constraints. The Tipping Point illustrates that powerful changes can be brought about simply by harnessing the knowledge of how epidemics work.