Public Policy Analysis - Terms & Concepts

Public

Encompasses ordinary people or community

Policy

A course of action adopted or created by the government in response to public problems

Public Policy

A government action to solve a public problem

Power

• The ability to alter or influence a course of action

• A person or goups ability to persuade or alter perceptions

Politics

Who gets what, when, and how

• discussion and debate the merits and solutions to problems

Pluralism

equal access to policymaking

Elitism

a select few maintain power to influence policy creation

Types of Policy

1. Distributive: the allocation of resources

2. Redistributive: the mindful reallocation of resources (promotion of equality)

3. Regulatory: the restrictions and limitations on the behavior of individuals or organizations

Equality

the status of being equal in status, rights, and opportunity

Equity

fair and impartial

The Process: Heuristic Approach

1. Problem Identification: clear definition

2. Agenda Setting: placing the problem on the agena of a changemarker (sudden event or policy entrepreneur)

3. Policy Formulation: the process of designing a law

4. Policy Legitimization: passing into law through the legislative process

5. Policy Implementation: following the passage of a policy (the process of doing policy)

6. Policy Evaluation: the process of analyzing the efectiveness of a policy or program

The Eightfold Path - Step 1

1. Defining Issues

   • Using Semantics as a qualifier - this definition is usually derived from a client or through overall discourse and debate

   • These issues are often partisan, following and advocated for and by issue entrepreneurs with extreme philosophies

   • The goal of this step is to look to the past for guideposts and use is for future action and inaction

   • The definitions may require a succinct or a broad definition or definitions

   • The definition should be quantifiable - measurable - or in some cases an estimation. Find the best point of estimation - EX: Pg 8

   • Defining causal relationships can be helpful, but they can also be misleading and mistaken

   • Refering to “The Odds” allows an uncertainty in qualifiers - enabling a probabilistic relationshiop

   • Lack of imagination can lead to missed opportunity - however there is little time when analysts are governed by complaints, threats, worries, and troubles

2. Avoid Pitfalls

   • Do not legitimate a solution into the definition of the problem

   • Evaluate common chains and do not assume causality in diagnostic language

   • Do not ignore context - context largely determines the efficacy and overall ability of a policy or program to be implements and be successful

   • Ensure that the policy or program is delegated to the correct agency or agencies - such problems arise when these agencies are underresourced, have little imagination, and are constrained and inflexible due to overregulation

Focusing Events

Significant episodes or experiences that catapult particular issues into prominence

• EX: September 11th

Context of Public Policy Making

• Economic Environment: The economy and its overall health determined policy focus (GDP or Social and Environmental Policy)

• Social and Cultural Environment: Norms and value of society and what they are likely to accept - (EX: we value choice and personal property so mandating the use of electrical vehicles is unlikely to be accepted)

• The Administrative Environment: Deciding who will take action and the effectiveness of such action (What form or level of governance but me responsible)

• Political Environment: the political and congressional makeup, taking into account elections, and the priorities of the two party system

Multiple Streams Framework

• Problem Stream: Many issues and chalenges muddle the field

• Policy Stream: This is where these challenges are addresesd and solutions are proposed

• Politics Stream: Societal moods and the political makeup of legislative bodies - while also taking into account elections

Incrementalism

Small strides in the building of public policy to address issues

Non-Incrementalism

Large, significant strides are possible

Policy Equilibrium

Everyday subsystems of government are at work: congressional staffers and those working for the bueracracy: agencies and departments

Equilibrium Punctuations

Infrequent, demanding national attention and diverting business away from policy subsystems and action is demanded by high profile actors (the president)

Official Actors

Constitutionally defined roles: President, Congress, Courts, etc.

Unofficial Actors

Everyone other than constitutionally defined roles: Citizens, Lobbyists, etc.