Spea V181

government action that responds to public problems
Represents our most important values and conflict among values

improve ability to take a position and participate and influence
policy decisions

Promotes and protects the public good

structure of gov, divided congress often leads to no action
and/or ineffective policies, fed and state gov responsibilities often overlap, unfunded mandates

societal changes, dynamic, how groups relate to one another
Ex: seniors are the fastest group segment of the population. This impacts policy.

who is in power, loss of public trust w gov, diff
views/polarization, political party labels are poor indicators regarding policy choices among individual elected officials, varies greatly from state-state and community-community

state of the economy(ex: surplus vs. deficit), -unemployment
rates, budgetary decisions

values, beliefs, attitudes, interests,, varies by location, seen in
highly debated social issues

When the public and policymakers believe that gov needs to intervene to correct a social problem, they create or alter policies (political reasons, moral or ethical reasons, economic and market failures)

the systematic method for studying problems(nature & scope), proposals, policy alternatives(possible actions), policy outcomes (effects of policies)

Dissect problems and possible outcomes, counterweight to partisan positions and ideology, points to policy inconsistencies

Does or will it work?

Is it a good use of public funds and resources?

Is it fair for/accessible to everyone?

Will elected officials support it?

Write or email elected officials, provide formal remarks on personal experience relative to proposed or current policy, testify, form coalition, create a forced the response through boycott, demonstration, march, lobby as a member of an interest group

Expansion of US territory(physical & population), increasingly complex problems, greater regulation of business, greater acceptance of social welfare, responsibilities as world superpower, citizen demands for gov action

Gov policy affects every aspect of life, large impact on our economy & employment, many more stakeholders involved, ever increasing challenge to establish effective policies

Law making(bicameral congress, filibuster rule in senate), initiate and
research policy proposals, creates many places to intervene in public policy making

law enforcing (office of pres, involved in all aspects of policymaking) cabinet-level, independent executive agencies, and regulatory commission

law interpreting (supreme, circuit, district) court decisions become
precedent for how a law gets enforced

study symptoms and causes of problem, legislators begin active discussions about a problem and potential solutions

policy actions to address the problem, regulation or gov
spending, technical and political process

process of debate, public meetings, advisory bodies, and
spokespersons

organizing, interpreting, applying the law

determines if a policy is working, often overlooked

laws and rules

direct services or management of resources as instruments of public policy

ability to tax and spend to achieve policy goals

often represents a decision of government not to act

providing information to citizens that will help sway behavior

individualized grants and programs

winners and losers, rewards one group punishes the other

gov restriction of choice, competitive & protective regulations

money spent (no funding means no implementation), laws,
passed, regulation formulated

done mostly by them through regulations enforced by
agencies that reflect the political views of the chief executive

Salience is high and conflict is low

Government agencies(fed and state), universities, think tanks, interest groups

most rigorous (academics), deepen understanding of public
problems, build theories

objective & rigorous analysis, purpose: to make decisions, analyze policy options

research that takes a position (still can be high quality,
performed by interest groups to support positions)

Root- study deeper underlying issues(things policy can not impact). Proximate- focus more on symptoms(focus on what can be done)

Comprehensive- elaborate & time consuming. Short-Term- focused & brief

Consensual- based on mainstream values. Contentious- value-critical approach. Paradigm-Challenging: bold new thinking(more radical)

Rational- more rigorous. Democratic- engaging citizens

Collect and interpret info to clarify public problems and study the consequences of policy actions
Study of public problems and proposed policy alternatives
The purpose is to inform and develop understanding in order to make better policy

Define the problem: be objective(frame the problem, politics of it, operational
measures, root causes)
Operationalize or measure it
Document the extent or magnitude of it
Consider possible causes
Set goals for the policy outcome
Develop alternative ways to address it

- It can provide short-term political stability by minimizing conflict over social values and policy goals.
- It can forge compromises that help diverse policy actors gain something that they want while delivering needed services to the public.
- It subjects policy proposals to careful evaluation of their likely effectiveness, costs, and impacts, thus reducing the risk of serious mistakes.
- It can help to build political legitimacy and confidence in the policymaking processes.
- Finally, it can encourage policy experimentation and learning, the kind of trial-and-error decision making that allows policymakers, especially at the state level, to try new approaches to see how they work before committing to a particular course of action

The formal structure of government they established well over two hundred years ago remains much the same today. The U.S. system is based on a tripartite division of authority among legislative, executive, and judicial institutions and a federal system in which the national government and the states have both separate and overlapping authority. Each branch of the federal government has distinct responsibilities under the Constitution but also shares authority with the other two. The art of policy analysis lies in selecting suitable criteria for policy assessments, in recognizing the limitations of the available methods, and in drawing and reporting on appropriate conclusions.

In a federal system, the national government shares authority with the states and local governments. Quite often national policies, such as those dealing with environmental protection, are implemented chiefly by the states through an elaborate system of intergovernmental relations in which the federal government grants legal authority to the states to carry out national policies. These unfunded mandates—federal requirements placed upon the state governments without funds for implementation—added stress to the relationship between the national and state governments.

Licensing, inspection, enforcement of standards, application of sanctions

Loans, direct payments or benefits, tax credits, price supports

Tax and activity at a level that encourages or discourages it

A special category of taxation or imposition of fees that creates incentives to change behavior and achieve goals and objectives

Fees for select service

Provide information to the public through formal programs or other actions

Conduct or support research and development

person to person contact

Transferring public services from government to the private sector

Holding public property in trust for citizens indefinitely