Discussion - Week 4 Discussion: Policy Process and Public Opinion

 Discussion - Week 4

Discussion: Policy Process and Public Opinion

Managing public opinion and understanding the balance between its influence and your advocacy goals is a delicate matter. It is a task fraught with uncertainty because, as a policy advocate, you must navigate through the territory of politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists whose primary goals are to appease and please their constituents.

In this Discussion, you select a social problem that is of interest to you and identify how public opinion influences the process and political approaches involved in addressing that social problem.

To prepare: Refer to your Week 2 Small Group Discussion Forum for ideas.

Post by Day 3 a description of the importance of public opinion in addressing the social problem you have selected. How does public opinion influence political approaches to the problem? Explain. What policy advocacy approaches and skills can you use to address the problem with political leaders? What are the social justice implications of your approach?

Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week's resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.

Respond by Day 5 to a colleague who has chosen a social problem that is different from the one you selected, addressing the following:

• Offer an explanation of how public opinion can be influenced to address the problem identified by your colleague.
• Suggest policy advocacy approaches and skills he or she can use to address the problem with political leaders.
• Comment on the social justice implications of the approach or approaches you suggested.