Policy Making

Public Policy

is a decision by the government to do something in response to a public problem

Tools of public policy include…

regulation, spending,

taxes, trade, and military power.

Public Policy can be divided into four areas….

social policy, economic policy, environmental policy, and

foreign policy.

Social Policy concerns…

government efforts to deal with

social problems like poverty, unemployment, or lack of

access to education or health care.

Economic policy concerns…

government attempts to improve efficiency and equity in the economy and the

government’s decisions on taxing, spending, and the

money supply.

Enviromental policy concerns…

to the government’s efforts to protect the environment from the effects of

economic activity.

Foreign policy refers to the government…

actions to protect national security and to increase U.S. prosperity and

influence in the world.

Government can use a number of tools to achieve social policy aims including…

• Regulations, that is, laws that impose restrictions or

requirements on businesses (e.g., minimum-wage laws or

anti-discrimination laws)

• Spending programs, like Social Security and welfare

• Tax credits or deductions, like the home-mortgage

interest deduction, which encourages home ownership

• Services, like public education and public transportation.

Tools of Economic and Enviromental Policy

• Regulations, like anti-pollution laws and laws against

monopolies and price-fixing

• Tax credits and deductions for businesses

• Spending that benefits businesses, like defense

spending

Tools for Foreign Policy

• Diplomacy, or the process of negotiation between nations

• Military power

• Intelligence gathering

• Trade and foreign assistance

Policy making Process includes

5 stages

Stage 1: Agenda Setting

government recognizes certain problems as requiring government action.

• Actors involved include government

officials, interest groups, and the public.

• The threshold question is whether the government should

intervene. Rationales for intervention can include political

reasons (public opinion), moral or ethical reasons, or

economic reasons

Stage 2: Policy Formation

• Actors at this stage develop and evaluate policy options.

• Actors can include government officials and interest

groups.

• Considerations include the effectiveness, efficiency, and

political feasibility of proposed options.

That is, would an

option be effective at solving the problem? At what cost?

Would elected officials vote for it?

Stage 3: Decision Making

• Only government officials are involved in choosing an

option.

• Officials generally choose options that make only

incremental changes to existing policy. Such options are

easier to explain to the public, less costly, and easier to

administer than big changes.

• Options involving sweeping change are rarely chosen.

However, an economic, political, or social crisis can bring

about sweeping change, like the Great Depression and the

New Deal.

Stage 4: Implementation

• At this stage the policy is put into effect.

• The actors at this stage are those in the bureaucracy who

work in the relevant policy area.

• One issue at this stage can be funding. Implementation may

cost more money than Congress provided.

• Also, policy decisions often leave room for interpretation by

the executive branch, so in some cases implementation may

not satisfy legislators.

• Finally, the problem may be more complicated than the

policymakers thought, or the policy may produce unintended

consequences.

Stage 5: Policy Evalutation

• Once implemented, a policy is evaluated. There are three

types of evaluation.

• Administrative evaluation is undertaken by the agency

responsible for implementation of the policy. Such

evaluation focuses on the effectiveness and efficiency of

the policy.

• Political evaluation is that done by an interest group with

a stake in the policy area. Since such groups have an

agenda, this form of evaluation may not be objective.

• Judicial evaluation is done by the courts. If someone

brings a legal challenge to a policy, courts may have to

determine its legality or constitutionality.

Four theories over public policy include:

Elitism, Pluralism, Majoritarianism, and Bureacratic rule

Elitism

the theory that policy is controlled by a very small

number of well positioned, highly influential individuals in

society (the elite)

Pluralism

policies are shaped by interest

groups that hold sway in particular policy areas.

Majoritarianism

this is the view that numerical majorities

determine issues of public policy.

Bureaucractic rule

the theory that key policy experts in the

bureaucracy control public policy

Each theory offers some insight, however…

all four must be taken into account in any full explanation of political power in the U.S.