Chapter 17

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Figure 17.1

No Worries! I Can Drive Without Watching the Road

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Government Purposes and Public Policies

Public policy -- a general plan of action, designed by government to solve a problem or pursue an objective Not acting is also a policy decision

Policy disagreements come from differing opinions on government’s goals, the means to meet goals, and how the situation should be perceived

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The Policymaking Process

Disagreement about government’s goals often based on value differences

Look at policies related to drugs: Libertarians value freedom and want

drugs decriminalized Conservatives value order and support

controls over drug use Valuing equality, liberals favor treatment

programs

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Types of Policies Political scientists categorize policies by their

objectives:

Distributive policies Representative John Murtha’s “pork”

Redistributional policies Seattle’s proposed espresso tax Alabama’s proposed redesign of state tax code

Regulation Mexican trucks traveling in U.S.

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Figure 17.2

Who is Paying Their Fair Share?

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Public Policy Tools Main tools used to achieve governmental

policy objectives: Incentives and disincentives Direct provision of services Setting rules

Tools can be combined

Policies not static: means, goals, and situations change

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Gridlock Proposal Gridlocked

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Greeks Smoke a Lot, Bulgarians Too

Since 1970, smoking has declined in U.S.

Smoking rates in Europe higher Some countries beginning to address

with taxes Regulatory restrictions vary considerably Anti-smoking education efforts have

increased

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A Policymaking Model Policymaking process has four

stages: Agenda setting Policy formulation Implementation Policy evaluation

Political agenda the broad set of policy areas in U.S. life

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Figure 17.3

The Policymaking Process

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Agenda Setting In agenda setting, policies defined as

political issues Triggers can be calamities, effects of

technology, or irrational human behavior

Issue definition influenced by our values, world viewpoints, and what we consider to be a government responsibility Changes often due to new frame

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What’s the Problem?

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Figure 17.4

The Innocence Frame Gains Traction

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Policy Formulation Policy formulation where formal plans

are developed and officials decide about adoption

Occurs in all 3 branches of government Not always just one stage, or in one

level of government Tends to be incremental Proposals not always enacted

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Sex Offender Registry/Tracking

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Implementation

Process by which policies carried out is implementation

Process starts with notification of affected parties Involves bargaining and negotiation

as part of a pluralist system Changes in technology procurement Medicare prescription drug program

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Policy Evaluation Policy evaluation the analysis of a public

policy’s results Measurement of program outcomes Cost-effectiveness analysis Texas’s “top 10 percent” law as example

Evaluation provides feedback on policies

Evaluation difficult because behavior complex and driven by many causes Also, different programs exist to achieve

same goal, such as abstinence-only sex education

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Figure 17.5

Different Evaluations, Different Findings

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Fragmentation and Coordination

Separation of powers results in a fragmented approach to solving policy problems Different interest groups try to influence

different parts of government

Sometimes more than one agency responds to a problem Creation of Department of Homeland

Security a response to need for an agency to oversee fragmented responses to homeland security issues

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Christmas Day 2009 Bomber

Umar Farouk Abdumutallah

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Fragmentation and Coordination

Congress also has diffusion of authority Overlapping committee jurisdictions

States have differing policies on any given issue, and also may differ from president’s views In a federalist system, who has control?

Attempts to eliminate jurisdictional overlap result in turf battles

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The Pursuit of Coordination

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) fosters coordination within executive branch

Coordination of policies among the states a more difficult balancing act

Reorganizations within an agency sometimes brought on by a scandal, negative report, or highly visible problem

Effect of pluralism on coordination evident

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Government by Policy Area

When policies developed, participants from many areas must develop working relationships Participate at all stages of policy

formulation

Various individuals and organizations working in a particular policy area constitute an issue network Conflict within a network common Common denominator expertise

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The Veterans Affairs “Triangle”

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Issue Networks

Issue networks promote pluralism

However, majoritarian influence of public opinion still significant Elections one indicator

Issue networks facilitate pluralist policies when majoritarian influences weak

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The Nonprofit Sector

Nonprofits not a government organization or business May receive public funding, however Groups give government valuable feedback Charities that perform some public good

In groups with income of at least $25,000, greatest percentage involved in social services Many other services, from PTAs to museums,

provided by nonprofits28

Figure 17.6

America’s Nonprofit Sector

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A Lifeline in Haiti After earthquake January 12, 2010, Partners in

Health, a nonprofit, provided assistance in 10 small hospitals

U.S. military responded, but impractical to maintain long-term presence

Nonprofits a lifeline for disaster response

Governments use nonprofits to devise and implement programs in developing world

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The Nonprofit Sector Nonprofits enrich society with their efforts

Government rewards organizations with tax deductibility for donors

Government also enters into partnerships with nonprofits to provide needed services Savings to government since nonprofits use

many volunteers

Economic downturn resulted in fewer contributions to nonprofits

Nonprofits vital part of policy process

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