POLISCI 2547 Lecture 7: Citizen Participation & Policy Implementation

when does citizen participation happen in the policy process?

most prevalent in formulation, agenda setting and implementation

examples on how citizens can be involved in democratic governance/decision making

voting, joining political parties, attending political protests, writing op eds

ideal use of citizen participation

public participation involves convening diverse groups of people, educating them about the topic, get them to recommend a policy option based on the information given

how is citizen participation different from lobbying?

lobbying = efforts to convince public officials that a particular view/course of action is correct (done TO gov)

citizen participation = initiated BY gov

3 categories of scoring citizen participation

passive
hybrid forms
active

passive scoring of CP

government for the people

agency decides on recommendation and citizens are just reacting to the decision

hybrid scoring of CP

collaborative network paradigm

gov by the people

agency decides on the recommendation but citizens advise

active scoring of CP

government by the people

citizens decide on the recommendation but agency plays a consulting role

advantages to CP (Decision process)

education (learn from and inform gov representatives)

persuade and enlighten government

gain skills for activist citizens

increase trust in gov

advantages to government (deicison process)

education (learn from and inform citizens)

persuade citizens (build trust and allay anxiety and hostility)

build strategic alliances

gain legitimacy of decisions

advantages of CP (outcomes)

break gridlock of ideas (achieve outcomes)

gain some control over the policy process

better policy implementation decisions

advantages to gov (outcomes)

break gridlock (achieve outcomes)

avoid litigation costs

better policy implementation decisions

disadvantages to CP (decision process)

time consuming

pointless if decision is ignored

review and comment methodology

review and comment methodology

public input is only sought after solutions are already implemented

more about presenting info to citizens rather than listening to what they have to say

disadvantages to gov (decision process)

time consuming

costly (time and money)

may backfire creating more hostility toward gov

disadvantages to CP (outcomes)

worse policy decision if heavily influenced by opposing interest

issue if citizen's chosen are not properly representative of the national mood

disadvantages to gov (outcomes)

loss of decision making control

possibility of bad decision that is politically impossible to ignore

less budget for implementation of actual projects

purpose of policy implementation

translating policy choices into action

implementation (def)

set of activities directed to putting a policy into effect

passing of the law signifies the ending of the implementation process (myth, what is reality?)

design and passing of the law is the beginning, implementation effects people and businesses after initial implementation

why is implementation important? (2)

affects more people than they realize

most contracts with government occur during implementation

optimism bias

gov officials assume any potential problems with the policy will not materialize in the end

what does the top down approach to implementation focus on?

emphasis is on the policy decision

"carrying out of a basic policy decision, usually made in a statute)

top down approach - what does the decision identify (3)? (what does it replicate?)

identifies the problem, stipulates objectives, and structures implementation

(replicates 3 components of policies - prob definition, objectives, implementation)

factors affecting implementation (3) (in top down approach)

the tractability of the problem

the ability of the statute to structure implementation

non-statutory variable affecting implementation

tractability of the problem

about how easy/difficult the problem is to address

e.x. vehicle idling laws are easier to address than homelessness

easier issue = easier implementation

ability of the statute to structure implementation

the extent to which the policy itself coherently structures the implementation process

nonstatutory variables affecting implementation

balance of support for the policy
level of political support a policy can maintain over time
whats going on in the world, and all of the actors

bottom up approach to implementation (what does it focus on?)

concerned with the strategies of actors

want to know about the interactions between these actors in the implementation stage

(SLB's, private and not-for profit sectors)

method for bottom up approach

identify local actors
ask them about goals, activities and contacts
evaluate significance of government action compared to other influences

main elements of the combined model for implementation (6)

policy design
inter-organizational communication and enforcement capacity
characteristics of the implementing agencies/dispositions of implementers
connecting implementation outputs to their outcomes/impacts
policy learning
managing the action environment

policy design

policy content and resources (standards, objectives, resources given)

inter-organizational communication and enforcement capacity

multilevel governance (principle-agent accountability relationships come in)

characteristics of the implementing agencies/dispositions of implementers

factors like organizational leadership, culture and norms come into play

managing the action environment

public sector institutional environment
economic, social and political conditions

could make the policy not doable (e.x. $10/day daycare policy, but if there is not enough workers to supply the care, the policy cannot be as effective as it should have been)