Policy Formulation and Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions of policy categories, the policy process stages, various policy making models, and types of policy analysis based on the lecture transcript.

Policy

A purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors dealing with a problem or matter of concern (Anderson, 1975).

Policy Demand

Claims made upon by people of authority by stakeholders in order for them to do something in response to some human need or problem.

Policy Decision

Conscious act made by officers of an organization that authorize or give direction to policy actions.

Policy Statement

An articulation of policy.

Policy Output

Tangible products of policy in terms of programs and services.

Policy Outcomes

Impact or effect felt by the society in general in relation to the policy.

Agenda setting

Involves issues being turned into agenda items for policymaking bodies, often as a result of public outcry, crises, and lobbying efforts.

Policy formulation

Involves the proposal of solutions to agenda issues and providing policymakers with several choices for resolving agenda items.

Policy legitimation

The stage where policies are adopted by government bodies (such as Congress or Local Government Units) for future implementation.

Policy implementation

The stage where adopted policies are put into effect and communicated to the relevant governing body within the bureaucracy.

Policy evaluation

The stage where policies are assessed after being put in place to understand their overall effectiveness.

Institutionalism

A traditional, classical approach focusing on structures, organization, duties, and functions of governmental institutions.

Systems Theory

A model that emphasizes the environment of political systems, inputs (demands and support), outputs (public policies), and feedback.

Pluralism

Interprets policy making as the result of influence by groups or influential individuals, where conflict and competition have prominent roles.

Elitism

A model recognizing that policy making is heavily influenced by elites because most people are uninvolved and uninfluential.

Process Models

Models that attempt to generalize about the sequence of steps or actions that occur as policy issues are raised, debated, and resolved.

Rationalism

A process of efficient decision making that includes ranking goals, identifying alternatives, and selecting the option that maximizes goal attainment.

Incrementalism

A model stating that decision makers consider a limited number of alternatives that differ only marginally from the status quo.

Policy Analysis

The process of identifying potential policy options and comparing them to choose the most effective, efficient, and feasible one.

Prospective policy analysis

Analysis conducted prior to implementation to anticipate possible outcomes of proposed policies; also known as ex ante, pre hoc, or anticipatory.

Predictive analysis

A type of prospective analysis referring to the projection of future states resulting from adopting particular alternatives.

Prescriptive analysis

A type of prospective analysis referring to analysis that recommends actions to bring about a particular result.

Descriptive policy analysis

After-the-fact analysis referring to historical analysis of past policies or evaluation of new policies; also known as ex post, post hoc, or retrospective.

Retrospective analysis

A type of descriptive analysis referring to the description and interpretation of past policies.

Evaluative analysis

A type of descriptive analysis referring to program evaluation to determine if the purposes of the policy were met.

Analysis of policy

An analytical and descriptive study of existing policy in terms of gaps, guidelines, and international instruments.

Analysis for policy

A prescriptive analysis examining potential alternatives to include 'policy reform' and influence changes.