Race and policy midterm

Policy stages

Agenda, policy formulation, budget, implementation, evaluation

Social construction

The characterization of people and groups and how that characterization affects public policy. Based on media, ignorance, personal and collective ideas, racism, stereotypes, etc.

Types of target groups based on social constructions

advantaged, contenders, dependents, deviants

advantaged target group

positively constructed and politically strong (ex: big corporations)

Contender target group

negatively constructed and politically strong (ex: unions)

Dependents target group

positively constructed and politically weak (ex: children)

Deviants target group

negatively constructed and politically weak (ex: undocumented)

Wicked problem

problems or policy issues that don’t neatly fit into the usual linear logic of the planning and policymaking process

Characteristics of a wicked problem

difficult to define, involve multiple interdependencies, are multi-causal, attempts to solve often have unforeseen consequences, socially complex

2 phases of agenda setting

policymakers openly decide issues to be placed on formal agenda, powerful actors try to keep status quo and block certain issues from agenda

Pre-decision

defines the scope of the conflict in the decision-making process

Policy design

analyzes the effects of policy tools on target groups and apply that knowledge to the development and implementation of policies

Non-design

policy design based on things out of one’s control, such as electoral cycles, inconsistent policies

4 Ps of agenda setting

Power, perception, potency, proximity

Power

determines what issues are heard

Perception

affects what issues are deemed important

Potency

severity of consequences of given issue

Proximity

level at which the issue affects people’s lives

Multiple-stream model

problem stream, policy stream, political stream

Political stream

factors that influence the decision-making body (ex: national mood, interest group advocacy)

Problem stream

makes sense of problems that are seen as affecting the public

Policy stream

policy-makers examine problems and develop policy solutions

Stream

focuses on the interconnection between problems, policy and politics to explain the process of policy-making

Policy stage model

gather intelligence, decision makers assess knowledge, make a POA, enact the POA, implementation and approval/dismissal, evaluation

Policy window

windows of opportunity for policy change, which can open as a result of several converging “streams”, or political events that occur that may lead to changes in agenda

How to seize a policy window

respond quickly, establish credibility, build coalitions, plan ahead of window, follow political debate, frame research effectively

Agenda setting includes

problems, politics, people/participants, media and current events

Benefits for positively constructed groups

government contracts, tax cuts, job security, access, financial incentives

Punishments for negatively constructed groups

jail, restricted rights, fines/taxes, policing/surveillance, funding/benefit cuts, eligibility rules

Focusing event

Incrementalism

Garbage can model

Why issues fall off the agenda

Policy formulation

Historical institutionalism

Punctuated equilibrium