Week 13: Public Policy

public policy

actions taken by gov to address a particular public issue

stakeholders

those who have a direct interest in a particular policy.

six stages of public policy

1. issue emergence

2. agenda setting

3. policy selection

4. policy enactment

5. policy implementation

6. policy evaluation

issue emergence

recognize the need to address a social problem

must be considered a public problem worthy of gov attention

media attention may lead to policymaker attention

agenda setting

prioritize issues for government attention

there may not be widespread agreement on the issue

policy selection

evaluate multiple policy proposals

interest groups and think tanks help out committees

policy enactment

legislative action formally establishes a policy

policy implementation

carrying out the policy by developing procedures, establishing services, or enforcing regulations

bureaucracy must take over

policy evaluation

assessing a policy’s impact and effectiveness, as well as its costs and benefits

going on all the time

Sunset review process

the official procedures of the TX Sunset Advisory Commission in evaluating the performance of gov entities to determine whether they continued to serve the purposes for which they were created

revenue

the money collected by the gov through taxes, fees, fines, and federal transfers

over half comes from state taxes

another big percentage comes from the fed gov

progressive taxation

a tax or taxation system in which people pay more taxes as their income levels increase

regressive taxation

a tax or taxation system in which people with lower incomes pay a higher % of their income on taxes than people with higher incomes.

what is the tx tax system like?

one of the most regressive tax systems in the US

tx tax model

low taxes, low services

Medicaid

a joint federal-state program that provides funding for medical and health-related services for individuals with low incomes

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

a joint fed-state program that provides health insurance coverage to needy children in families with incomes too high for Medicaid

public education funding in tx

always at or near the bottom of the list in per-pupil funding in the US

complex system, relies on local funding

how much did tx’s pop grow by btwn 2010-2020?

15.9%

Rainy Day Fund

the informal term for the Economic Stabilization Fund, a state savings fund that is used for emergency or unexpected budget needs

seed money

money invested in a new project that helps it get started

systematic agenda

a giant list of all the issues that ppl think need attention, everything on the public’s mind, reflects the general anxieties of the public

institutional agenda

the list of issues that a specific gov body is actively considering, much shorter 

gatekeeper

actors that have the ability to move issues onto the policy agenda

focusing event

events that direct public and elite attention to a policy problem and potential responses

policy entrepreneur

individuals or groups that focus on one issue and have the position, resources, and preparation to exploit opportunities to influence policy outcomes

laboratories of democracy

policy sometimes gets on the agenda bc of action at the state level

how can vagueness help a law pass?

less opposition

bureaucratic discretion

agencies have the latitude to interpret laws and decide how to enforce them

rulemaking

the process government agencies use to create regulations that have the force of law, detailing how laws passed by legislative bodies are implemented

steps in the tx rulemaking process

• pre-proposal - agencies will collect informal stakeholder feedback before and or after developing an initial draft for a rule

• proposal stage - first public draft of the proposed rules with the TX Register

• public comment - stakeholders incl individuals and advocacy orgs have at least 30 days during this stage to submit formal written comments; agencies may hold public hearings

• revisions - agency reviews comments and makes changes if needed

• final adoption - the law guided by the adoption order is implemented; the adopted rule is published in the TX Register; most rules take effect 20 days after publication

4 means of bureaucratic accountability

• executive orders - the prez/governor can issue orders directing how agencies should implement laws

• legislative oversight - lawmakers can hold hearings, cut an agency’s budget, or even amend an underlying law if they disagree with an agency’s rules

• judicial review - courts can step in if an agency is deemed to have acted outside the scope of law or violated the constitution in implementing statutes

• public accountability - public comment periods, public meetings, and transparency laws all allow the public to challenge agency actions

non-attitude

when someone doesn’t hold a genuine or stable opinion on an issue