models approaches of public policy

Models, Theories and Approaches to Public PolicyMS. AGNES F. MONTALBO

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

DTE

Public Policy DefinitionPublic policy is an attempt by a government to address a public issue by instituting laws, regulations, decisions, or actions pertinent to the problem at hand. Numerous issues can be addressed by public policy including crime, education, foreign policy, health, and social welfare.

Traditional ViewThomas R. Dye (1987) thinks, “Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do”.

Dye focuses not only on government action, but also on government

inaction, and therefore, his definition shows the obvious character of behavioralism.

It reflects the practical discipline quality of public policy analysis.

“Action” means that government takes measures or uses symbols openly in order to solve some public problem. “Inaction” means that government does not take measures or express active symbols, abiding by the principle of non interference. Both are important solutions to public problems.

Public Policy in the PhilippinesThere are several institutional built-in systems of policymaking in the Philippines, some of these are:National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) – for socio-economic policiesNational Security Council (NSC) – for security and defenseLegislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) – general legislative agendasMetro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) – local level agencies for concerns affecting basic services

The last three agencies mentioned do perform certain stages of the public policy process, none of them have a more defined and extensive mandate and a more permanent structure than NEDA.

NEDAThe highest policy making body responsible for all aspects of the development program

NEDA Board is headed by the President with selected Cabinet secretaries and other executive staff officers and members.

NEDA Secretariat is the research arm of the NEDA board.

NEDA Director-General heads the Secretariat, and is also the Social-Economic Planning Secretary (perEO#230)

Three Approaches to Policy AnalysisApproach Primary Question Type of Information

Empirical Does it and will it exist? (facts)

Descriptive andpredictive

Valuative Of What worth is it? (values)

Valuative

Normative-Value Critical

What should be done? (action)

Prescriptive





Valuative



Prescriptive

The empirical approach is concerned with the causes and effects of given public policies.





Valuative



Prescriptive

The analyst for example, may describe, explain, or predict public expenditure for health, education or roads





Valuative



Prescriptive

The valuative approach is mainly concerned with determining the worth or value of public policy





Valuative



Prescriptive

For example after providing descriptive information about various kind of taxation policies, the analyst may evaluate different ways of distributing tax burden according to their ethical and moral consequences.





Valuative



PrescriptiveThe normative approach is concerned with recommending future courses of action that may

resolve public problems.





Valuative



Prescriptive

In this case the question is one of action and the type of information is prescriptive. For example, a policy of guaranteed minimum annual incomes may be recommended as a way to resolve problems of poverty.

Theoretical Approaches or Models to the Study of Public PolicyPolitical Systems Theory

Group Theory

Elite Theory

Institutionalism

Rational Choice Theory

Political Systems TheoryPublic policy may be viewed as a political systems response to demands arising from its environment.

The political system, comprises those identifiable and interrelated institutions and activities (what we usually think of as governmental institutions and political processes) in a society that make authoritative allocations of values (decisions) that are binding on society. (Easton)

Political Systems Theory Social

System

Economic System

Biological Setting

POLITICAL SYSTEM

The environment consists of all phenomena—the social system, the economic system, the biological setting—that are external to the boundaries of-the political system. Thus at least analytically one can separate the political system from all the other components of a society.

Political Systems Theory

Demands are the claims for action that individuals and groups make to satisfy their interests and values.

Political Systems Theory

Support is rendered when groups and individuals abide by election results, pay taxes, obey laws, etc

Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Public Policy

INPUTPOLITICAL

SYSTEMOUTPUT

The concept of feedback indicates that public policies (or outputs) made at a

given time may subsequently alter the environment and the demands arising

therefrom, as well as the character of the political system itself. Policy outputs

may produce new demands, which lead to further outputs, and so on in a never-ending flow of public policy.

Group TheoryPublic policy is the product of the group struggle.

Group theory rests on the contention that interaction and struggle among groups are the central facts of political life. A group is a collection of individuals that may, on the basis of shared attitudes or interests, make claims upon other groups in society.

It becomes a political interest group "when it makes a claim through or upon any of the institutions of government."

The individual is significant in politics only as a participant in or a representative of groups. It is through groups that individuals seek to secure their political preferences.

Group TheoryA central concept in group theory is that of access. To have influence and to be able to help shape governmental decisions, a group must have access, or the opportunity to express its viewpoints to decision-makers.

Obviously, if a group is unable to communicate with decision-makers, if no one in government will listen, its chances of affecting policymaking are slim. Access may result from the group's being organized, from its having status, good leadership, or resources such as money for campaign contributions.

Social lobbying—the wining, dining, and entertaining of legislators and other public officials—can be understood as an effort to create access by engendering a feeling of obligation to the groups involved.

Group TheoryIn the nature of things, some groups will have more access than others. Public policy at any given time will reflect the interests of those who are dominant. As groups gain and lose power and influence, public policy will be altered in favor of the interests of those gaining influence against the interests of those losing it.

Another shortcoming of group theory is that in actuality many people (e.g., the poor and disadvantaged) and interests (such diffuse interests as natural beauty and social justice) are either not represented or only poorly represented in the group struggle.

Elite TheoryThis model shows that the top of political and economic hierarchies set the institutional agenda (top-bottom style). It focuses on who sets the agenda. Elites include political officials, corporate representatives, interest groups, and other influential people and institutions.

Agenda setting is viewed as follows:◦ Elites on their own randomly select issues they specialize in, or observe

hierarchies like congressional committee structure.◦ Society’s elites may select issues that serve their own interests and ignore the

public interest.◦ The elitist model has the following key assumptions:

◦ There exist a dominant class (elites) that monopolize political power, and;

◦ Ordinary citizens (the masses) have relatively little power over matters that are of concern to elites

Institutional TheoryPolicy is a product, authoritatively determined, implemented and evaluated by the government institutions: Congress, presidency, and other elective officials and the bureaucracies both local and national.

In this model, a policy does not become a public policy until it is legitimized by government entity concerned.

Government policies provide legal powers that demand obligations from and command loyalty of the citizens. This type of policy has its concomitant punitive components.

The structure of the various government institutions contribute to the context of public policy. The Constitution serves as the highest kind of policy to which all other policies must subscribe. Laws passed by Congress, executive orders and judicial decisions come second in terms of relevance and priority.

Rational Choice TheoryThe rational-choice theory, which is sometimes called social-choice, public-choice, or formal theory, originated with economists and involves applying the principles of micro-economic theory to the analysis and explanation of political behavior (or nonmarket decision-making). It has now gained many adherents among political scientists.

Rational Choice TheoryOne of its basic axioms is that political actors, like economic

actors, act rationally in pursuing their own self-interest. Thus economist James Buchanan, a leading proponent of

rational-choice theory, contends that politicians are guided by their self-interest rather than an altruistic commitment to such goals as statesmanship or the national interest.

Rational Choice Theory"This should be no surprise," says Buchanan, "because governments are made up of individuals, and individuals operate from self-interest when they are engaged in a system of exchange, whether this is in the market economy or in politics.“

Individuals who are engaged in decision-making exchanges or transactions, such as voting, also have preferences that vary from person to person. Being rational, individuals are able to comprehend and rank their preferences from most to least desired. In making decisions (whether economic or political), they are guided by these preferences and will seek to maximize the benefits they gain.

Rational Choice TheoryA second basic axiom of rational-choice theory involves methodological individualism.

The individual decision-maker is the primary unit of analysis and theory.

The individual's preferences or values are assumed to be more important than other values—collective, organizational, or social. Conversely, rational-choice theorists argue that the actions of organizations and groups can be satisfactorily explained in terms of the behavior of a model individual. Nothing substantial will be lost by so doing in explaining the behavior of all persons.

Rational Choice TheoryFor example, a rational-choice explanation of why Congress delegates discretionary power to administrative agencies begins with the assumption that the preference of members of Congress is to get reelected.

To this end, legislators delegate power to agencies, knowing that in exercising that power the agencies will create problems for their constituents. Legislators will then be called on by their constituents to assist them with their bureaucratic problems and, in return for assistance, the grateful constituents will vote to reelect the legislators. The pursuit of self-interest by the members of Congress thus explains the delegation of power and the growth of bureaucracy.

Policy System

A policy system or the overall institutional pattern within which policies are made involves interrelationships among three

elements

A given policy issue is usually the result of conflicting definitions of a policy problem.

Public policies which are long series of more or less related choices (including decisions not to act) made by governmental bodies and officials, are formulated in issue areas which range from defense, energy, and health to education, welfare, and crime.

A Policy environment which is the specific content in which events surrounding a policy issue occur, influences and is in turn influenced by policy stakeholders and public policies.

Policy stakeholders—for example, citizens’ groups, labor unions, political parties, government agencies, elected leaders and policy analyst themselves – often respond in markedly different ways to the same information about a policy environment.

Policy SystemHence, policy systems contain processes which are dialectical in nature, meaning that objective and subjective human products created by the conscious choices of policy stakeholders; policy system are an objective reality manifested in observable actions and their consequences; policy stakeholders are products of policy system. policy analyst, no less than other policy actors, are both creators and products of policy system.

Stakeholders in Philippine Public Policy

Calorie count menu act

Body percing and tattooing act

House bill no 2352 my husband lover act

Milk nutrition and labelling act

Anti rice wastage act of 2013

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