Chapter Two: Government Institutions and Policy Actors

1. Chapter Two: Government Institutions and Policy Actors

2. Introduction • How does our government impact policy making? • Our form of government • Government institutions • Who else influences the policies that government makes? • What can be done to increase our policy capacity?

3. Discussion 1 CLOSED!!!! • What led to the government shutdown for 16 days in 2013? • Because of our form of government, policy actors must be able to come to agreement. Is it an acceptable negotiating strategy to threaten government shut down?

4. Implications of Shutdown • Video: (http://youtu.be/xpkTfVhfVx8) • “A US Government Shutdown: Breaking Down the Numbers.” (Sept. 27, 2013). New York Times Video showing a variety of statistics about agency closures, polling data, and more about what happens when the federal government shuts down. (Time: 1:48)

5. How Does Our Form of Government Impact Policymaking?

6. Checks and Balances • Structure of federalism • Separation of powers of three branches

7. Federalism • US government structure • Established in the 10th amendment: • “The powers not delegated to the US (federal government) by the Constitution . . . are reserved to the states or to the people.” • Shared policy making by state and federal governments

8. Federalism (cont’d) • Dual Federalism (historical) • Clear separation of responsibility • States: education and transportation • Federal: national defense and trade • Cooperative Federalism (contemporary) • Responsibility of states vs. federal government has blurred

9. Results of This Balance of Power What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? Often a slow process Gridlock Downturn of public opinion • Distributed power across wide range of parties • Both houses of Congress and the President must agree – policies are vetted • The “people” and other actors have a great deal of input

10. Policy Gridlock Occurs • Complex issues, sharp differences in ways to approach them • What are some issues right now that seem to be gridlocked?

11. Incremental Policymaking • Government action that falls between gridlock and innovation

12. Growth of Government • Expansion of US territory • Increasingly complex problems • Greater regulation of business • Greater acceptance of social welfare • Responsibilities as world superpower • Government’s unique ability for impact • Citizen demands for government action

13. Implications of this Growth • Government policy affects every aspect of life • Large impact on our economy, employment • Many more stakeholders involved • Ever increasing challenge to establish effective policies

14. DISCUSSION 2: • What do YOU think are some implications of the ‘growth of government’ trends?

15. Increasing Decentralization • Federal government dominant between 1940s & 1960s • State and local government dominant in 1970s & 1980s • Block and categorical grants: federal “lump sum” funding to states, greater state control • Growing power and policymaking by states • “Unfunded mandates:” federal requirements for states with no funding to go with it

16. Can States Handle this Responsibility? Policy Capacity • The ability of a government to identify, assess, and respond to public problems • All governments have policy capacity • States vary in people, history, skills, needs, values, budgets, and methods • Which states have a good policy capacity? • How can you tell? • What about our state?

17. What Institutions of Government Are Involved in Policymaking? • Government Policy Actors

18. Separation of Powers • Power is shared by three branches of government at all levels • Legislative • Executive • Judicial

19. Government Institutions Involved in Policymaking • Legislative Branch: Lawmaking • Bicameral Congress • Filibuster rule in Senate • 200+ Congressional committees and subcommittees • Expert staff support the legislators • Initiate and research policy proposals

20. Government Institutions Involved in Policymaking (cont’d) • Executive Branch: law enforcing • Office of the President • Involved in all aspects of policy making • Executive agencies • Cabinet level & all departments underneath • Political appointments • Independent executive agencies • Independent regulatory commission

22. Government Institutions Involved in Policymaking (cont’d) • Judicial branch: Law interpreting • Levels of federal courts • Supreme • Circuit • District • Court decisions become precedent for how a law gets enforced • Recent precedent: police cannot seize and examine cell phones upon arrest

23. Conclusions About Government Policy Actors • Our form of government ensures broad and balanced input into policy but slows and complicates the process • Balance of power among states and federal governments leads to questions about which level of government is responsible

24. Who Else Influences the Policies that Government Makes? Informal Policy Actors • The public • Interest groups • Issue networks

25. 1. Informal Actors: The Public Public Opinion • Important in a democratic system • Voiced in numerous ways and at all levels • Can impact government actors • Can lead to interest group formation and activity

26. Who Votes?

27. Who Votes?

28. What Does the Public Think?Public-Opinion Polling • Video: (http://youtu.be/DAufq8y20d4) • “Science Behind The News: Opinion Polls & Random Sampling” (December 19, 2013). National Science Foundation news feature about how scientific opinion polls are conducted (Time: 4:08)

29. Poll of Virginia Votes: Public Opinion Influences Public Policy • Video: (http://youtu.be/_vx5lZWnuQA) • “Virginia Voters Back Gay Marriage.” (March 31, 2014) News story announcing results of new poll of voters. (Time:50)

30. Discussion 2: • What can be done to improve the public’s policy capacity?

31. 2. Informal Actors: Interest Groups • Provide information (objective and political) • Influence public opinion – media, publications • Meet with policymakers to sway their opinions • Testify at hearings • And, lobby….

32. Views of Interest Groups U.S. Chamber of Commerce American Federation of Teachers Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuE138p01DE) • Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQHFCR4FflU)

33. Lobbying • All levels, all agencies of government • Promote a policy agenda • Opensecrets.org data • Lobbying has grown rapidly • http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/ • Top contributors • http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/index.php • How does lobbying influence what policies are made?

34. Lobbying (cont’d) • Should Comcast merge with TimeWarner Cable? • Story: lobbying by both sides (http://youtu.be/KQTaupOoPcI) • Lobbying for health care reform • Story: Drug companies lobbying in health care debate (audio) (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106899074)

35. 3. Informal Actors: Issue Networks • Issue or Sector-specific • Defense • Health care • Energy • Many more • Specialized, technical, experts familiar with a topic • Includes government, interest groups, experts

36. What Do Issue Networks Do? • Influence and develop policies • Introduce legislation • Promote causes

37. Wrap Up • How does our government impact policy making? • Our form of government • Government institutions • Who else influences the policies that government makes? • What can be done to increase policy capacity?