Protective Policies as Emotional Safety Nets: An Agenda for MSF Research

In an era of anxious politics, protective policies in a threatening environment can incorporate emotional support components, simultaneously acting as emotional safety nets for individuals and communities. A key question arises: which type of emotional safety net best aligns government responses with the emotional needs of target populations. Drawing on the role of emotional intensity in the processes through which emotions influence interpretation, as well as extensive research showing that individuals within groups share and shape collective emotional states—states that inform group identities and actions—this paper conceptualizes the emotional dimension of protective policy as a multidimensional phenomenon. Two dimensions that are interrelated, yet capture distinct aspects of emotional safety nets, include the intensity of the emotions targeted and the variability of emotional needs across individuals and groups. These two dimensions give rise of three distinct emotional safety nets, namely Basic Reassurance Emotional Safety Net (low intensity and low variability), Emotional Empowerment Safety Net (moderate intensity and moderate variability); and Restorative Emotional Safety Net (high intensity and high variability). These categories provide policymakers with a structured framework to assess the emotional needs of target populations and tailor their protective policies accordingly. Drawing on the Multiple Streams Framework, the paper generates numerous hypotheses. Process tracing, among others, will effectively demonstrate how emotional safety net strategies are chosen and implemented.