Pol S 321

Lecture 1

What is Politics?

“Authoritative allocation of values” - Easton, D.A. Framework for Political Analysis.

“Who gets what, when and how” in society - Lasswell, H. Politics: Who Gets What, When and How.

What is Public Policy

“Anything that government chooses to do or not to do?” - Dye, T. Understanding Public Policy. P.2.

- government is the agent of policy- involves a fundamental choice to do or not to do

something (concept of the non-decision)- conceptualizes policy as a choice

“a set of interrelated decisions taken by a political actor or group of actors concerning the selectiion of goals and the means of achieving them within a specified situation where those decisions, should, in principle, be within the power of those actors to achieve. - Jenkins, W.I. Policy Analysis: A Political and Organizational Perspective.

Lomas, 2000

Determinants of Health Policynotion that policy is “determined” by a

variety of broad influencesideology, intellectual innovation,

technology, institutions, socio-demographics, economics

Values

Ideologies: coherent systematic ways of viewing the world, regardless of evidence political ideologies: liberalism; socialism;

conservatism

Beliefs: empirically testable notions of how the world operates

Interests:politicians, bureaucrats, providers, citizens

Intellectual Innovation

policy change flows from changes in perceptions and attitudes of central decision makers

policy process as a complex web of communications within which information and ideas are exchanged

relatively small number of individuals contribute to the intellectual process

Technology

technological imperative has a strong influence on society at large and decision makers in particular

Institutions and Actors

the structures and organizations of the state, society and international community

The state:political executive legislature appointed officials

Institutions and Actors(cont.)

Society: business labour interest groups communities/citizens media research organizations

International System trade regime financial regime

Policy Communities

“groupings of government agencies, pressure groups, media people, and individuals, including academics, who for various reasons, have an interest in a particular field and attempt to influence it.”

Socio-Demographics

effects of changes in socio-demographic on service requirements

political significance of socio-demographics

Economics

economics as a foundation of decision making