Making Public Policy

1. Making Public Policy

2. Models of Public Policy • Elite theory • Group theory • Institutionalism • Rational choice theory • Political systems theory • Policy process model

3. Policy Process ModelPolicy Cycle Problem definition/ Agenda setting Policy change Policy formulation Policy evaluation Policy implementation Policy legitimation

4. Problem Definition • What is the problem? • Why is it a problem? • Who is involved? • What causes it? • Why does it persist?

5. Agenda Setting • Systemic vs. government agenda • Systemic: public is aware of and may be discussing • Institutional (i.e. governmental):considered to be those issues and problems that policymakers are addressing at a certain time • What issues would you consider to be on the government agenda currently?

6. Streams of Agenda Setting Problem stream Agenda items Policy stream Political stream

7. Explanations for Agenda Setting:Problems, Politics, Participants • Problems • mandated items • magnitude of problem • focusing events (e.g., Sept. 11, Love Canal) • relationship to symbols • absence of private means • spillover impacts • analogy to other problems

8. Explanations: Political • Political process change • change in administration, public opinion, etc. • Visible participants (entrepreneurs) • president and staff • congressional leadership • media • interest groups

9. Explanations: Policy • Potential solutions • “Criteria for survival”

10. Explanations: Saliency and Conflict

11. Policy Formulation • Debate, discuss, etc. alternative policy choices • Policy analysis is important • Actors provide their preferred positions • Who’s involved • bureaucracy, EOP • legislature/staff • interest groups

12. Policy Legitimation • Authorization or justification of policy • Important for mobilizing support • Gives legal force to decisions • Deals w/two major issues • Substance of the policy • Process of adopting the policy

13. Policy Implementation • Resources are allocated in order to execute policy • money spent • laws passed • regulations formulated

14. Instruments of Policy • Regulation • Government management • Taxing and spending • Market mechanisms • Education and information

15. Policy Evaluation and Change • A step which is often disregarded in the policy process • What were the policy’s goals ? • Were they were achieved? • What are the impacts ? • direct vs. indirect • short-term vs. long-term • Try to establish a feedback loop into the policy process

16. Lowi Policy Typology • Distributive policy • individualized grants and programs • Redistributive policy • one gains from another’s loss • Regulatory policy • government restriction of choice • protective policies