A Review of Chapters 1 2 of Schneider L. Anne and Ingram M. Helen s Policy Design for Democracy

1. A Review of Chapters 1 & 2 of Schneider L. Anne and Ingram M. Helen�s Policy Design for Democracy Amokwu I. Theophilus Graduate School of Public Administration, NIDA Policy Studies DA802 August 15th 2011

2. Outline Introduction Summary Critique Conclusion Questions

3. Introduction

4. About The Book Title: Policy Design for Democracy Authors: Anne L. Schneider & Helen M. Ingram Publisher: University Press of Kansas Year: 1997

5. The Authors and their credentials Anne L. Schneider (PhD, Indiana) Dean of the College of Public Programs Arizona State University (Retired) Professor in the School of Justice Studies Research Interest Research and teachings about the role of public policy in a democracy �Policy experiences" people have and how they impact their political voice

6. The Authors and their credentials Helen Ingram (PhD, Columbia) Research Professor Department of Society and Politics, University of California, Irvine. Research Interest Public policy design and implementation Impact of policy upon democracy, public participation and social movement formation Science and Society

7. Summary

8. Reason d�etre To show whether or not policy designs are well structured to address the crisis of democracy Ascertain if the responsibility for the crisis and flaws in policy design can be directed at other facets of the policy making system

9. Public policy and design The concept of design Analogy between everyday designs and public policy designs. Some part of the design are left intrinsic

10. Public policy and design Public policy Public policies fit into context They contain meanings They are made up of designs

11. Critique

12. The Review Observable phenomena found in statutes, administrative guidelines and even court decrees Its constituent elements include Target populations Goals or problems to be solved Rules Assumptions and Rationales

13. The Review Important part of a policy through which its elements are arranged to serve specific purposes Policy designs are dynamic and constantly evolving For proper analysis, acute sensitivity to context is required

14. The Review The present state of democracy in the United States and how it has affected its citizens The United States democratic system at risk of losing its legitimacy A strong disrespect for government, politics and everything public has permeated through the citizenry

15. The Review The implication of policy design as the root cause of the current crisis of democracy Argument to disprove this notion and expose the real cause of the crisis forms the basis of this book Social constructions of knowledge and identities of target populations Contexts that encourage choices of design elements that reproduce antidemocratic tendencies

16. The Review Of what use have these theories been in troubleshooting public policy problems and proffering solutions to the crisis of democracy? What is expected of public policy theories? The Pros, and The Cons Have policy theories helped in mitigating the crisis of democracy?

17. The Review The main purpose of the book: Analysis of the four most prominent theories of public policy Assessment of their contributions and limitations for democratic policy design Provide a framework that positions policy designs within the larger study of politics, policy making and democracy

18. The Review Pluralist Theory Government should create policies that reflect the desires of the public and the results of negotiations among competing groups in society Neutral to the concept of �flawed� policy design Pictures democracy as a type of process through which binding decisions are made for a collectivity

19. The Review Concepts and logic of pluralism include Institutions limit the power of government Institutions ensure politicians respond to public preferences, do not favor any single group Policy change is incremental and �self-correcting� Overlapping social memberships reduce conflict and allow for compromise A �civic culture� with �realistic� view of citizenship that rejects �public interest� legitimizes the system

20. The Review Argument that citizenship has indirectly been replaced with self-interest Issues with pluralist distrust of centralized power Most of the critics are believers of pluralism themselves Theodore Lowi�s �interest group liberalism� submission that interest groups capture policies (Lowi 1964, 1979)

21. The Review Well documented evidences have shown considerable loopholes in the pluralist theory: Relative inattention to policy design Contenders of the pluralist theory lack education on what to expect from democracy The typical pluralist idea for improvement in the policy process, whereby citizens take action by mobilization has proven less than efficient Pluralism have over looked the importance of science and professionalism in policy design

22. Recommendation Policy design will benefit from some of the principles of pluralism, especially those that emphasize the importance of fair and open democratic processes

23. Some Authorities Cited Simon, Herbert A. (1981) The Sciences of the Artificial 2nd edition, MIT Press Easton, D. (1965) A System Analysis of Politic. New York: Harper Lowi, Theodore J. 1964. American Business, Public Policy, Case Studies and Political Theory. World Politics 16 (July): 677�715 Lowi, Theodore J. (1979) The End of Liberalism. Rev. ed. New York: Norton Rawls, J. A. (1971) A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Greider, W. (1992) Who Will Tell the People? The Betrayal of American Democracy, New York: Simon and Schuster

24. Conclusion

25. Conclusion � Chapter 2 Pluralism has much to offer but still lacks the essential ingredients to make policy-making more democratic and help mitigate the crisis in democracy

26. Evaluation Public policy and its design has an intertwined relationship with democracy in a way best described by M. C. Escher�s �Drawing Hands�

27. Thank You for your attentionQuestions and comments are welcomed

28. Resources Schneider, Anne L., and Helen Ingram (1997) Policy Design for Democracy. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press (Chap. 1&2, p.1-28) https://webapp4.asu.edu/directory/person/6330 http://socialecology.uci.edu/faculty/hingram http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DrawingHands.jpg

29. Diagrams