10. Public Policy

Public Policy

A plan or course of action chosen by a government to respond to an identified problem.

Public Administration

The study and delivery of public policy by public servants.

Pluralism

The presence of diverse socioeconomic groups participating in public affairs.

Green Paper

A government document released to explore policy options, without any commitment to the outcome.

White Paper

A document outlining a proposed policy commitment by government.

Public-Policy Cycle

The stages involved in the development and implementation of public policy.

Agenda Setting

The use of strategies and tactics to generate public and government support for a proposed public policy.

Policy Analysis

Examining the feasibility, impact and merits of potential courses of action.

Principal-Agent Problem

Arises when someone (an agent) working on behalf of a decision-maker (the principal) may not take the course of action the principal intended.

Rational Choice Theory

A theory that citizens are self-interested actors whose decisions fulfill their own needs and wants.

Policy Evaluation

Most commonly, the input-output-outcome logic model.

Inputs

Program investments in the context of policy evaluation.

Outputs

Deliverables in the context of policy evaluation.

Outcomes

Short-, medium- and long-term impacts on society in the context of policy evaluation.

Wicked Problems

A problem that's so complex that it's difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete and changing definitions and high stakes.

Machinery of Government

Central Agencies and Line Departments that coordinate efforts to solve major policy problems.

Central Agencies

Coordinate the massive, interconnected efforts required to solve any major policy problem.

Line Departments

Units responsible for the development and delivery of policy, programs, or services under a particular portfolio.

ABCs

Operate at arms-length from politicians, line departments and central agencies.

Agency

Specialist organization that's tasked with overseeing the administration of specific legislation.

Board

Appointed citizens who review potentially contentious issues.

Parole Board of Canada

An organization that provides detailed policy recommendations.

Canada Employment Insurance Commission

An organization that provides detailed policy recommendations.

Crown Corporations

Enterprises owned by a federal or provincial government set up in areas that are in the public interest but that the private sector has deemed unprofitable.

CMHC

A Crown corporation in Canada.

Canada Post

A Crown corporation in Canada.

CBC

A Crown corporation in Canada.

Bank of Canada

A special case of a Crown corporation.

Treasury Board

An organization of federal bureaucracy responsible for fiscal management, department spending, HR, and many others.

Ministry of Finance

The department that creates the budget containing the government's projected revenue, expenditures, and forecasts.

Deficit

A situation in which spending exceeds revenues during a given period.

Stimulus

Increased government spending to encourage job growth amid an economic downturn.

Direct taxes

Taxes collected by the government without an intermediary, such as property tax.

Indirect taxes

Taxes collected by an intermediate body on behalf of the government, such as income tax and sales tax.

Tax credit

An income-tax provision that reduces a citizen's taxable income and reduces the tax payable.

Social Safety Net/Welfare State

A suite of government programs, services, and financial supports.

The Great Depression (1929)

A period marked by a 15% fall in worldwide GDP and a 42% fall in Canada, initially met with public works and relief camps.

Canadian New Deal (1935)

A series of progressive reforms including income tax, minimum wage, maximum working hours, unemployment insurance, and some health insurance and pension.

Policy Making

The process of generating policy somewhere between ideology and evidence, influenced by beliefs about the role of government.

Universal Basic Income (UBI)

A form of basic income where everyone receives the same amount, re-balanced in taxes.

Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI)

A form of basic income where payments only go to lower-income people.

Manitoba Basic Annual Income Experiment (Mincome)

A basic income experiment conducted from 1974 to 1978 in Manitoba.

Ontario Basic Income Pilot

A basic income pilot program conducted in Ontario in 2017.

Partisan Decisions

Decisions influenced by political affiliations, including patronage and pork barrel politics.

Pacific Scandal (1872)

A political scandal involving the donation of money to the Conservative Party in exchange for a railway contract.