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Public Policy Process. An Introduction. Introduction. Where does public policy come from--- Politics Politics: a process by which societies help figure out how to organize and regulate themselves; that is, how to govern themselves.
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Public Policy Process An Introduction
Introduction • Where does public policy come from--- Politics • Politics: a process by which societies help figure out how to organize and regulate themselves; that is, how to govern themselves. • Why “Public” in policy ? Social contract- Democracy-John Lock “power derives from the consent of the governed” • What is public and what is private?
Public Policy Morphology • Public Policy Process—Formulation and implementation of public policy- term “policy process” suggests that there is some sort of system that translates policy ideas into actual policies that are implemented and have positive effects. • Comparative Public Policy—Applies the logic of comparative analysis to the substance of different policy problems. Much of this work is descriptive, rather than theoretical
Morphology--- • Public Policy Analysis—A logic of analysis and mix of techniques in support of public policy decision making--borrows heavily from economics. • Public Policy Research—Applied social science research aimed at documenting policy problems and evaluating interventions. It is problem driven- and is domain focused mostly
Classics—The Systems Process • Systems Thinking- input output • David Easton’s “ Systems Analysis of Political Life” 1953
Systems Questions • What are the characteristics of the environment that generate demands? • What are the characteristics of the political system that turns demands into output? • How do environmental inputs affect the political system? • How do characteristics of the political system affect public policy? • How do environmental characteristics affect public policy? • How does public policy through feedback, affect the environment and the political system itself?
The Policy Environment • Inputs: • Election results • Public opinion • Communications to elected officials • Media coverage • Personal experiences THE POLITICAL SYSTEM (“BLACK BOX”) translates inputs into outputs • Outputs: • Laws • Regulations • Decisions Feedback A Systems Model of Policy
Alternative Selection Agenda Setting Issue Emergence Evaluation Enactment Implementation ‘Textbook’ or ‘Stages’ Model of the Policy Process (multiple authors-Lasswel 1956)
Stages model--- • Implies a beginning and an end • Implies an orderly step of stages • Strength: It’s a good way to organize our thinking • Weaknesses: • When does one stage end and the other begin? • Do policies move through each step? • Do policies move in order? • Does feedback always happen? • Does it feed back to the beginning, or somewhere else?
Kingdon’s Streams Model • An adaptation of the ―”Garbage Can’ model • The streams: • The state of politics and public opinion (the politics stream) • The potential solutions to a problem (policy stream) • Attributes of problems and the attention to them (problem stream)
A picture of the streams model Problem Stream Window of Opportunity Policy Stream Streams come together. Why and when? Politics Stream Time
Streams are parallel and somewhat independent of each other • Policy entrepreneurs try to join the streams in a ―window of opportunity • Window of opportunity: the possibility of policy change
Strengths • Not as mechanical as systems/stages models • Shows how elements of the policy process happen separately and in parallel • Particularly strong in showing how alternative policies are selected and how agendas are set
Weaknesses of the Streams Metaphor • Doesn’t go much beyond agenda setting and alternative selection • Doesn’t really describe implementation (not a whole system model) • Not clear about the role of some actors, such as the courts (although these actors certainly fit in the model).
Baumgartner and Jones ―Punctuated Equilibrium • The important contribution to public policy studies: • Long periods of policy stability is followed by rapid change, followed by long periods of stability. • Policy change isn’t incremental • Policy isn’t in a state of constant instability
Baumgartner and Jones: ―Punctuated Equilibrium • The balance of political power between groups of interest is relatively stable over long periods of time • But this balance of power is punctuated by sudden shifts in: • Public understanding of policy problems • The balance of power between groups seeking to fight entrenched interests
Baumgartner and Jones: ―Punctuated Equilibrium • Policy Monopolies • Based on a coalition of government and special interest groups, they form a policy subsystem • These monopolies are controlled by a relatively few number of actors • How do policy monopolies break down? • Media attention to an issue • Changes in the policy image • Changes in the policy venue
Sabatier’s Advocacy Coalition Framework • Policy change can take a long time • There are stable and dynamic influences on the policy process • Stable influences –the policy problem, distribution of natural resources, and cultural values and social structure • Dynamic influences -Changes in socioeconomic conditions, technology, public opinion, governing coalitions
What does the ACF tell us? • Some features of the system are stable • External events matter and can be exploited • You can lead a coalition or be a policy broker • You need to find a policy broker as part of your agenda setting strategy.
Conclusion: A Complex Process • There are normally hundreds of actors from interest groups, governmental agencies, legislatures at different levels of government, researchers, journalists, and judges involved in one or more aspects of the process. • This process usually involves time spans of a decade or more • There are normally dozens of different programs involving multiple levels of government that are operating, or are being proposed for operation, in any given local • Policy debates typically involve very technical disputes over the severity of a problem, its causes, and the probable impacts of alternative policy solutions • Most issues involve deeply held values/interests, large amounts of money, and, at some point, authoritative coercion