The Giuliani Administration embraced tenets of the Broken Windows Theory (BWT) to mollify wealthy and influential power brokers within the city who demanded change without regard to public input. To be sure, alternate theories exist to explain the implementation of enhanced enforcement guidelines, to include a genuine desire on Giuliani's part to effect crime reduction within the city, as well as these changes resulting largely from public outcry. A myriad of variables impact each of these theories, to include political influence, public opinion and intense lobbying, but after conducting an extensive literature review, I concluded that insufficient evidence exists to support my thesis. Similarly, while public pressure undoubtedly influenced the mayor's actions, no clear and convincing evidence exists to suggest that it was the basis for adopting policies derived from the BWT. Instead, based on Giuliani's appointment of William Bratton as the city's police chief, whose previous work in the transit department yielded tangible results, he demonstrated a sincere desire to reduce crime for all those living in New York City. While these policy initiatives benefited the city's elites, thus satisfying their safety demands, these quality of life improvements were incidental to the overall campaign to restore order in the Big Apple.
