Comparative Public Policy Final Exam

Multiple Streams Model

Kingdon's framework is useful in explaining public policy under conditions of ambiguity where three independent streams (problem, policy, and political) come together when a policy window opens and a policy entrepreneur take the opportunity to couple the streams to together. Kingdon builds off the Garbage Can Model but this framework is much more organized. Kingdon includes the existence of a policy entrepreneur. E.X. Gay Marraige, legal, framing, electoral circumstances, - solution legalize gay marraige, windo = supreme court, added a policy entrepreneur (Obama) to bring all the streams together.

Pareto Optimality

A public policy solution that makes at least one person better off without making anyone worse off. E.X. An economy contains two people, and two goods, apples and bananas. Person A only likes Apples. Person B only likes bananas. There are 10 Apples and 10 Bananas. The pareto optimal allocation would be giving all the apples to Person A and all the bananas to Person B. Driving on the right side of the road.

Kaldor Criterion

If the gains of the gainers of a public policy are greater than the loss of the losers, then, in theory, the gainers could compensate the losers for their losses and the policy has a net gain and is said to satisfy the Kaldor Hicks criterion. E.X. Decision makers want to decide whether or not to build another airport in New York. The benefit of the airport to the airline and passengers is $170 million. The cost to local residents and the cost of pollution would be $70 million. The decision makers should go ahead and build the airport because there is a net gain from its construction and in theory, the gainers (passengers, airline) could compensate the losers (residents, and pollution agency) for their losses.

SCTP Framework

Refers to the cultural and stereotypical characterizations or popular images of the persons or groups whose behavior and well-being are affected by public policy. Social construction has a powerful influence on public officials and shapes both the policy agenda and the actual design of policy

Welfare Policy

Includes government activities aimed at promoting the wellbeing of their populations (health care, housing, education, nutrition)

Residual Model (Welfare)

Welfare services as "safety net" for those who are the worst off, those unable to benefit from family support or succeed in the market (USA)

Institutional Model (Welfare)

Welfare is more expansive and used as part of a country's overall redistributive strategy (SCANDINAVIA)

Inst. Redistributive Mode

Expansive approach to welfare. Benefits are viewed as a resource for the entire population

Bismarckian Model

Redistributes wealth horizontally. Maintains and intensifies inequalities, preserves labor market status. Occupational - Insurance based programs

Beveridgean Model

Redistributes wealth vertically. Inequalities are reduced, does not preserve labor market status. Welfare systems funded by taxation.

Decommodification

Degree to which individuals, or families, can uphold a socially acceptable standard of living independently of market' participation.

Liberal Regime Types (Welfare)

Low levels of decommodification and redistribution. Based on the idea that people should be largely self-reliant. Encourages market to provide welfare actively (e.g. tax incentives for private pensions) or passively (e.g. Keeping social benefits to a minimum, means-tested) USA, UK

Conservative Regime Types

Modest Decommodification. Based on social insurance; benefits set at a relatively high level but maintains status differentials. Stress the role of family and non state actors (Unions, Religious Organizations) in providing welfare, not the state. France, Netherlands

Social Democratic Regimes

High levels of Decommodification. High levels of redistribution - Reduced level of income inequality, stratification. Benefits are guaranteed as a right of citizens (Not means tested). Based on a national commitment to ensuring full employment. Sweden, Norway

Bounded Rationality

Simon's critique of the Rational Comprehensive Model as unrealistic because it: Assumes the existence of a unitary decision maker, Doesn't take into account that decision maker may not have the capability, information, time, or resources to consider all policy alternatives and all alternatives, Doesn't take into account sunk costs. E.X. A student is trying to decide which college to attend, that student has limited information on what it's going to be like on every college campus, doesn't have the time and money to visit all the schools. So instead, he selects some colleges and universities to visit and attend.

Satisficing

Simon's concept of decision making that searches through available alternatives in search of an acceptable or sufficient solution that satisfies the minimal goals for solving the policy problem. E.X. Obamacare because it's not the best option but it helps more people get healthcare which is more than in previous policies.

Incrementalism

Instead of making drastic changes to public policy, the Incremental Model of Decision Making advocates making small incremental changes. The model was developed by Lindblom and the key components is that a decision maker only considers some alternatives and consequences for dealing with a problem, which differ only incrementally from existing policies. The reason why is because decision makers do not have the capability, time, or resources to evaluate all the alternatives and the consequences. Sunk costs prevent the true consideration of some alternatives, especially drastic changes. Incrementalism is remedial and geared towards the improvement of existing policies. Because decision makers are okay with settling for the "good enough" option. Because decision makers are satisficers. Incrementalism reduces conflict and is politically expedient. E.X. Congressional Budget Decision-Making, Increasing the Minimum Wage.

Punctuated Equilibrium

Model of policy making. Seeks to explain why long periods of stasis are marked by periods of profound change that sets policy in an entirely new direction. This is due to large shifts in society or government. Presented by Baumgartner. E.X. Before the 2009 Economic Crash, we see very little regulation in the banking, and housing loan industry. But after the crisis, there was a spike in regulation, including Dodd-Frank and the Volcker Rule.

Policy Feedback Theory

Examines how policies, once created reshape politics, and how might such transformations in turn affect subsequent policymaking in a dynamic and cyclical manner. Lowi: "Policies determine politics."

Iron Triangles

Answers the question "Who formulates policy?" Represents the relationship between Congress, Interest Groups, and Bureaucracy

Liberal Arts Curriculum

In relation to vocational education, definition, what is being taught, relate it to vocational what are the goals of

Vocational Education

Goal = to get students to feed into the workforce, what types of countries offer this?

Centralized Education System

Unitary political systems such as France and Japan are traditionally characterized by centralization of educational decision making authority at the national level.

Decentralized Education System

Federal systems like the US and Germany tend to be more decentralized, delegating responsibility for education to the local level.

Public Goods

Environmental policy usually deals with public goods, which incentivizes the free-rider problem.

Command and Control Policies

Direct Regulations. Most widely used policy instrument for environmental protections. Regulatory policies are similar across countries. Sanctions for noncompliance vary across countries.

Voluntary Agreements (Environ)

Typically used in conjunction with other policy instruments. Negotiated between government and industry, or by the industries themselves. Not legally binding.

Economic Incentives (Environ)

Tax breaks for pollution controls, pollution taxes, deposit-refund systems, and tradable discharge permits.

Paris Agreement

What is the agreement? The Purpose? How imperative it is? What will happen to the planet? Unique challenges we face with environmental policy - global problem that requires global solutions. The environment does not abide my national borders and this reason is why it requires a global solution. Example of country that decided not to participate

Rational-Comprehensive Model

Ideal model of decision making introduced by Simon where individuals make decisions on the basis of cost benefit analysis. The decision maker identifies a specific problems separate from other policy issues. The decision clarifies the goals and objective and ranks them in order of importance. The decision maker compiles a complete set of alternatives and consequences of those alternatives. These are all investigated. The decision makes a choice that maximizes the attainment of the set goals. E.X. If a state's department of education is trying to decide whether the fund more public or charter schools, under the rational-comprehensive model, the decision maker would determine the goal (improving educational quality for more students) and consider all the alternative uses of the money and all the consequences for all the students who received the extra funding or did not.

Most Different Systems Design

Mill's Method of Agreement Compile cases that are most different, except the outcome is the same. If one factor is similar between the cases and the outcome is the same, this is the probable cause for the outcome.

Illegal Immigration

It is a problem for communities, not knowing the number of people they have to serve because of the way we count people in terms of the census.