Transcript Document
Chapter 17 POLICYMAKING 2 Figure 17.1 No Worries! I Can Drive Without Watching the Road 3 Government Purposes and Public Policies Public policy -- a general plan of action, designed by government to solve a problem or pursue an objective Not acting is also a policy decision Policy disagreements come from differing opinions on government’s goals, the means to meet goals, and how the situation should be perceived 4 The Policymaking Process Disagreement about government’s goals often based on value differences Look at policies related to drugs: Libertarians value freedom and want drugs decriminalized Conservatives value order and support controls over drug use Valuing equality, liberals favor treatment programs 5 Types of Policies Political scientists categorize policies by their objectives: Distributive policies Representative John Murtha’s “pork” Redistributional policies Seattle’s proposed espresso tax Alabama’s proposed redesign of state tax code Regulation Mexican trucks traveling in U.S. 6 Figure 17.2 Who is Paying Their Fair Share? 7 Public Policy Tools Main tools used to achieve governmental policy objectives: Incentives and disincentives Direct provision of services Setting rules Tools can be combined Policies not static: means, goals, and situations change 8 Gridlock Proposal Gridlocked 9 Greeks Smoke a Lot, Bulgarians Too Since 1970, smoking has declined in U.S. Smoking rates in Europe higher Some countries beginning to address with taxes Regulatory restrictions vary considerably Anti-smoking education efforts have increased 10 A Policymaking Model Policymaking process has four stages: Agenda setting Policy formulation Implementation Policy evaluation Political agenda the broad set of policy areas in U.S. life 11 Figure 17.3 The Policymaking Process 12 Agenda Setting In agenda setting, policies defined as political issues Triggers can be calamities, effects of technology, or irrational human behavior Issue definition influenced by our values, world viewpoints, and what we consider to be a government responsibility Changes often due to new frame 13 What’s the Problem? 14 Figure 17.4 The Innocence Frame Gains Traction 15 Policy Formulation Policy formulation where formal plans are developed and officials decide about adoption Occurs in all 3 branches of government Not always just one stage, or in one level of government Tends to be incremental Proposals not always enacted 16 Sex Offender Registry/Tracking 17 Implementation Process by which policies carried out is implementation Process starts with notification of affected parties Involves bargaining and negotiation as part of a pluralist system Changes in technology procurement Medicare prescription drug program 18 Policy Evaluation Policy evaluation the analysis of a public policy’s results Measurement of program outcomes Cost-effectiveness analysis Texas’s “top 10 percent” law as example Evaluation provides feedback on policies Evaluation difficult because behavior complex and driven by many causes Also, different programs exist to achieve same goal, such as abstinence-only sex education 19 Figure 17.5 Different Evaluations, Different Findings 20 Fragmentation and Coordination Separation of powers results in a fragmented approach to solving policy problems Different interest groups try to influence different parts of government Sometimes more than one agency responds to a problem Creation of Department of Homeland Security a response to need for an agency to oversee fragmented responses to homeland security issues 21 Christmas Day 2009 Bomber Umar Farouk Abdumutallah 22 Fragmentation and Coordination Congress also has diffusion of authority Overlapping committee jurisdictions States have differing policies on any given issue, and also may differ from president’s views In a federalist system, who has control? Attempts to eliminate jurisdictional overlap result in turf battles 23 The Pursuit of Coordination The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) fosters coordination within executive branch Coordination of policies among the states a more difficult balancing act Reorganizations within an agency sometimes brought on by a scandal, negative report, or highly visible problem Effect of pluralism on coordination evident 24 Government by Policy Area When policies developed, participants from many areas must develop working relationships Participate at all stages of policy formulation Various individuals and organizations working in a particular policy area constitute an issue network Conflict within a network common Common denominator expertise 25 The Veterans Affairs “Triangle” 26 Issue Networks Issue networks promote pluralism However, majoritarian influence of public opinion still significant Elections one indicator Issue networks facilitate pluralist policies when majoritarian influences weak 27 The Nonprofit Sector Nonprofits not a government organization or business May receive public funding, however Groups give government valuable feedback Charities that perform some public good In groups with income of at least $25,000, greatest percentage involved in social services Many other services, from PTAs to museums, provided by nonprofits 28 Figure 17.6 America’s Nonprofit Sector 29 A Lifeline in Haiti After earthquake January 12, 2010, Partners in Health, a nonprofit, provided assistance in 10 small hospitals U.S. military responded, but impractical to maintain long-term presence Nonprofits a lifeline for disaster response Governments use nonprofits to devise and implement programs in developing world 30 The Nonprofit Sector Nonprofits enrich society with their efforts Government rewards organizations with tax deductibility for donors Government also enters into partnerships with nonprofits to provide needed services Savings to government since nonprofits use many volunteers Economic downturn resulted in fewer contributions to nonprofits Nonprofits vital part of policy process 31