Public Policy and Service Discussion 1

Readings & Videos for Disussion #1

Section One: U.S. Governing Setting

Many students probably are already familiar with the major U.S. government institutions. Even so, a brief review of their most notable features and the implications for public policymaking may be useful. The reason is that the way institutions are designed and structured is critical to how they function, as are the rules they adopt for decision making. Both affect their policy capacity.

The first half of the module materials discuss two major features of the U.S. government system: Separation of Powers and Federalism.

 

Feature I | Three-Branches Relationship: Separation of Powers 

Separation of Powers describes how governing power is shared among the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. When you watch this video, think through thiese questions: Why did the nation’s founders create such a fragmented system? What are the strengths and weaknesses?

Video 1: Separation of Powers: Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances: Crash Course Government and Politics #3 (Links to an external site.)

 

Feature II | National-State Relationship: Federalism 

Federalism describes how the power is divided between the national government and the 50 state governments. This video will teach you about how federalism has evolved over the history of the US, and what powers are given to the federal government, and what stuff the states control on their own.

Video 2: Federalism Federalism: Crash Course Government and Politics #4 (Links to an external site.)

Having a deeper understanding of the rationale of federalism is critical for learning American public policy. The following reading is a book chapter from The Price of Federalism. It introduces two theories on modern federalism. It’s a required reading. Please read carefully. You should cite this article to support your argument when you make discussion posts.

Required Reading 1: Peterson (1995) Functional and Legislative Theories of Federalism

Section Two:Socio-economic Setting

Besides the political setting, the broader social and economic forces also affect policy decision-making. You may hear politicians talking about “jobs, jobs, and jobs.” You may watch news talking about social justice all day long. That’s right. They are all related to government and public policy. The second half of the readings will discuss those social and economic issues.

 

The following article introduces four macroeconomic issues that public administration needs to address. Please pay closer attention to the section of Macroeconomic Issues for PA from Page 8 to Page 14. It’s a required reading. Please read carefully. You should cite this article to support your argument when you make discussion post. 

Required Reading 2: Han et al. (2020) Public Administration and Macroeconomic Issues (pp. 8-14)

 

One of the major concerns of American society over the past few decades is fragmentation – “there is an increasing divide between two Americas, or that America is fragmenting into a variety of “little worlds that touch but do not interpenetrate”. This article introduces a handful of social issues that America is facing. It’s a required reading. Please read carefully. You should cite this article to support your argument when you make discussion post.

Required Reading 3: Fisher & Mattson (2009) Is America Fragmenting?