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steoan221a
implementation-2.pptxImplementation
Chapter 2: Government Institution and Policy Actors
In the US our form of government requires policy actors to be able to come to agreement
Due to Checks and Balances: the structure of Federalisms and the separation of powers of the three branches.
Federalism is the US structure of government, this means Shared policy making by state and federal governments per the 10th Amendment
Chapter 2
Dual Federalism (historical) Clear separation of responsibility
States: education and transportation
Federal: national defense and trade
Cooperative Federalism (contemporary) Responsibility of states vs. federal government has blurred
Advantages vs Disadvantages
Advantages:
Distributed power across wide range of parties
Both houses of Congress and the President must agree – policies are vetted
The “people” and other actors have a great deal of input
Disadvantages:
Often a slow process
Gridlock
Downturn of public opinion
Who is making the Policy?
Responsibility is shared among the three branches
Our form of government ensures broad and balanced input into policy but slows and complicates the process
Balance of power among states and federal governments leads to questions about which level of government is responsible
Who influence the Policy making process?
Informal Actors: Public Opinion
Important in a democratic system
Voiced in numerous ways and at all levels
Can impact government actors
Can lead to interest group formation and activity
Who influence the Policy making process?
Informal Actors: Interest Groups
Provide information (objective and political)
Influence public opinion – media, publications
Meet with policymakers to sway their opinions
Testify at hearings
And, lobby….
Lobbying
All levels, all agencies of government
Promote a policy agenda
Who influence the Policy making process?
Issue Networks
Issue or Sector-specific
Defense
Health care
Energy
Many more
Specialized, technical, experts familiar with a topic
Includes government, interest groups, experts
Chapter 3:Understanding policy making
Complexity of U.S. Policymaking
Government structure
Government actors
Informal actors
Interest groups
The public
Five Competing Models of Policymaking
Elite theory:
Experts or elites dominate policy development
Societal business, cultural and government leaders
Issue Networks
Public Opinion: less influential
Occurs more for complicated issues
Five Competing Models of Policymaking
Group theory:
Public policy is dominated by interest groups
Continuously Struggling
Counterbalance each other
Shape policy through incremental change
Advocacy Coalition Frameworks
Competing alliances of policy actors from different public and private institutions at all levels
Five Competing Models of Policymaking
Institutional theory:
Structure and process of institutions dominate policymaking
Institutions such as government, corporations, and nonprofit organizations
Procedures and rules are followed
Government actors are involved
These structures and rules can empower or obstruct policymaking
Five Competing Models of Policymaking
Rational choice theory:
An economic model
Policy decisions made by self-interested individual policy actors
Politician: re-election implications
Public: public behavior (e.g., gas tax hike)
People make rational choices to protect self-interests
Useful to predict implications of policy alternatives
Five Competing Models of Policymaking
Political systems theory:
A broader general systems theory
Considers pressures on the process from the environment (demands)
Examines how the policy process flows
Inputs, policy outputs, policy outcomes, and feedback
Government responds to demands from interest groups and the public (inputs) by making policy (outputs).
Policy Process Model “Policy Cycle”
Identify a Problem and Its Causes
POLICY ANALYSIS: Study the symptoms and causes of problems
Interest groups, media, and public opinion help to frame, or “spin” problems
Problem definition is always biased
Agenda Setting: Legislators begin active discussions about a problem and potential solutions
Policy Process Model “Policy Cycle”
Policy Formulation
Actions to deal with the problem
Many instruments of policy making used, such as regulation or government spending
Formal and informal actors promote desired policy proposals
Debate ensues
Importance of policy analysis to study the options
Policy Process Model “Policy Cycle”
Instruments of Public Policy: what is the best way to implement the policy
Regulation
Government management
Taxing and spending
Market mechanisms
Education and information
Policy Process Model “Policy Cycle”
Policy Legitimation:
The policy is passed into law by a legislative body
The policy must be accepted by the public to be fully legitimized
If not, it won’t be implemented successfully
Policy Implementation
Organizing, interpreting, applying
Done mostly by executive branch through regulations
Activities that put policy into effect
money spent
laws passed
regulations formulated
Policy Process Model “Policy Cycle”
Policy Evaluation
Often disregarded: policy outcomes…did the policy work?
Difficult to identify the goals of a program and whether they were achieved
Change
Hopefully, evaluation will feed information back into the cycle to change and improve existing policy
PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING
CHAPTER 4
INTRODUCTION
Many cases of people using cell phones while driving reported
Cell phones mostly used for texting and calling while driving
When caught by the traffic police the users protest for note doing anything wrong
Use of cell phones while driving leads to accidents
There are many cases of use of cell phones by motorists reported in the United States. Mostly, motorists use cell phones to text and call while driving. The motorists usually protest when caught by the traffic police as they claim use of cell phones while driving is not something wrong. Use of cell phones while driving lead to increased road accidents.
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PUBLIC POLICY: USE OF CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING
Use of cell phones while driving leads to accidents
Use of cell phones while driving causes traffic jams
Need to restrict drivers from using cells to text or call while driving
Tougher laws should be enacted to deter motorists from using cell phones
As earlier mentioned, use of cell phones while driving may lead to increased cases of road accidents. Again, use of cell phones while driving may cause traffic jams as the motorists may be slow in driving while texting. As such, there is need to restrict drivers from using cells to text or call while driving. Tougher laws should be enacted to deter motorists from using cell phones.
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CONT’D
Punishment to the offenders should be tougher
These should include:
Fines
Revocation of driving license
Imprisonment
The laws should prohibit use of cell phones will driving in
Texting
calling,
any other activity.
Punishment to the offenders should be tougher. Public policies with regard to use of cell phones while driving should including heavy fines, revocation of driving license, imprisonment, etc. The laws should prohibit use of cell phones will driving in texting, calling, or any other activity.
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GREATER LAKES IN NOTHERN AMERICA
CHAPTER 5
INTRODUCTION
Greater lakes in Northern America contribute to health welfare of the Americans
The greater lakes serve for the benefits of all Americans
Politics surrounding this use
Media sources contributing to this debate of protecting the Greater lakes
All Americans both in the US, Canada, and the surrounding states depend on the Greater lakes. For this reason, there is need to this region to be protected and politics to be put aside. The media sources contribute to this debate of protecting the greater lakes though sometimes some media houses may be biased.
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MEDIA SOURCES INVOLVED
The New York Times
The Toronto Star,
The Vancouver Sun, and
The National Post
The media sources involved in the discussion of the protection of the Greater lakes include the New York Times, Toronto Star, the Vancouver Sun, and the National Post .
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HEALTH DEBATE OF GREATER LAKES REGION
Involves water pollution
Also entails increased junk food consumption
All parties to participate in this debate: state and federal governments, as well as the members of public
Decisions not to be biased and media to stop politicizing the issue
The health debate involves issues such as all forms of pollution but specifically the water pollution. The issue of increased consumption of junk foods by the Americans is also at the center of the states in the Greater lakes region. All parties to be consulted before any decision can be made. The media sources to be neutral in what they report to avoid biasing the facts.
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Environmental and Energy Policy
Evolution:
Environmental Policy: Overview
Definition: Government actions that affect environmental quality and the use of natural resources
Broad in scope, complicated, scientific
Three focus areas:
Pollution control/protection
Resource use and protection
Energy use and conservation
Many actors and interest groups
States have a very strong role: implement the federal policies
Regulatory solutions historically favored
command and control
Public opinion is a major player
What Are the Major Federal Environmental Policies?
Safe Drinking Water Act 1974
Health standards for public water supplies
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1976
Hazardous waste
Toxic Substances Control Act 1976
Regulation of commercial chemicals; red tape, ineffective
Superfund 1980
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Conflict in the 1980s and 1990sey touch every aspect of our lives
Conservatives – too much regulation
Industry: concerned effects on economy
Reagan and Bush policies
Attempted to roll back many statutes, but little happened
When President Reagan took office in 1981, his first initiatives were to override much of the Carter environmental agenda and eliminate regulation in government such deregulating the EPA. Reagan questioned the legitimacy of the agency as an independent authority. Critics argued that the Reagan program illegally delayed the promulgation of EPA regulations, "subverted statutory standards, and excluded the public from full participation in the regulatory process. More notably, these and other criticisms eventually culminated in an atmosphere of scandal that surrounded the Reagan EPA, a controversy that eventually led to the mass resignation of EPA officials in 1983.
Public opinion: protect the environment
Congress strengthened air and hazardous waste policies
Conflict continues today
What Natural Resource Policies are in Place?
Traditionally: Conserve land, forests, parks, animals
Goals: effective, efficient, equitable use of resources
Major tool: government management
Major Natural Resource Policies
National Environmental Policy Act (1969)
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976)
National Forest Management Act (1976)
Public input into land use planning
Manage public resources
Broader perspective on resource use issues – not just economic issues
Endangered Species Act (1973) – protection of the delta smelt (3 inch fish) though has brought controversy –California drought: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the largest estuary of its kind between Alaska and Argentina – a giant intersection of snowmelt and ocean that supplies water to 25 million Californians.
Current executive order for Environmental Policy
The current President’s executive order, billed as a measure to promote "energy independence" and create jobs, will target a slew of environmental measures aimed at combating climate change including the Clean Power Plan, (reducing carbon pollution from power plants in minimizing global warming).
Some directives take effect immediately, like the end to a moratorium on new leases for coal mining on federal land, while others, like the review of the Clean Power Plan, require a rule making process that could take years to complete.
Speaking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Trump declared an end to what he called "the war on coal" and promised a "new energy revolution" with a thriving coal and natural gas industry.
"The action I’m taking today will eliminate federal overreach, restore economic freedom and allow our companies and our workers to thrive and compete on a level playing field," said Trump, standing beside coal miners and members of his cabinet
The Eightfold Path to Problem Solving
Introduction
It’s a method of policy analysis written by Eugene Bardach, Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley
Policy analysis is a social and political activity; it is more art than science. It draws on intuition as much as on method.
True, analysts take moral and intellectual responsibility for the quality of their policy-analytic work. But policy analysis goes beyond personal decision making.
First, the subject matter concerns the lives and well-being of large numbers of their fellow citizens. Second, the process and results of policy analysis usually involve other professionals and interested parties: it is often done in teams or officewide settings
One reason for this structured approach is the it reminds you of important tasks and choices that otherwise might slip your mind. It consists of the following steps, which are not necessarily taken in precisely order):
Step one: Define the problem (crucial step)
it gives you both a reason for doing all the work necessary to complete the issue at hand and a sense of direction for your evidence-gathering activity
Tip: when defining the problem think of deficit and excess
“the unemployment rate keeps growing exponentially and the government’s ability to create more jobs is not growing as nearly as fast”
“the meth addition is worse than ever in the United States”
Remember that the idea of a “problem” could be debatable and not everyone will agree that the facts you have as a problem really do constitute a problem
It is usually helpful to view the situation through the “market failure” lens
Also, private troubles can warrant definition as part of public problems
Low living standards that arise precisely because markets are doing well but there is low or no reward to individuals that lack marketable talents or skills
The existence of discrimination against racial and other minorities
The failure of government to function well in areas in which it is traditionally expected to act effectively (e.g., in providing public schools)
Some issue labels may carry more than one problem. For example, “teenage pregnancy” may connote any or all of the following conditions: sexual immorality, the blighting of young people’s and their children’s life chances, exploitation of taxpayers, and social disintegration. You may want to determine the main problem but it’s ok to define more than one.
Step two: Assemble some Evidence:
gather information to help you calibrate the relevant magnitudes of the problem
you need evidence for three main purposes:
assess the nature and extent of the problem(s) you are trying to define
assess the particular features of the concrete policy situation you are analyzing
assess policies that have been thought, by at least some people, to ha
All of your time doing a policy analysis is spent on two activities: thinking (sometimes aloud and sometimes with others) and hustling data that can be turned into evidence
Husting data is much more lengthy – in the real world
TIP: economize on your data collection activities. The key to economizing is this: try to collect only those data that can be turned into “information” that, in turn, can be converted into “evidence” that has some bearing on your problem
Importance of data:
Enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes
Goal to capture quality evidence that allows analysis to lead to the formulation of convincing and credible answers to questions that have been posed
Faulty data leads to inability to answer questions accurately and validate your study/hypothesis
Step Three: Construct the Alternatives
Think of “policy options” or “alternative causes of action” or “alternative strategies of intervention to mitigate or solve the problem”
Alternatives to solution do not necessarily signify that the policy options are mutually exclusive (e.g., although the mayor may have promised enough money to either fix potholes or provide homeless shelters (but not both), you may have made such a great case for both programs that the mayor may decide to increase the budgetary allocation)
Make a list of all the alternatives that come up with and then go to process of elimination
Another frequently helpful alternative is “Learn more.” This can be done by using pilot studies, or by looking around for examples of “smart practices” elsewhere
Market models. The model of a market in which disaggregated suppliers exchange goods or services with disaggregated demanders can apply to unpriced goods and services. For example, the flow of patients into a state mental hospital in terms of supply and demand: there is a fixed short-run “supply” of available beds in state hospitals and a perdiem charge for each, and a complex “demand” for their use generated by police departments, county psychiatric emergency units, judges, members of the public, and so on.
Step Four: Select the Criteria
It helps to think of any policy story as having two interconnected but separable plotlines, the analytic and the evaluative.
This step introduces values and philosophy into the policy analysis into the policy analysis, because some possible “criteria” are evaluative standards used to judge the goodness of the projected policy outcomes that are associated with each of the alternatives
cost-effectiveness analysis is usually satisfied to assess only the nature and quantity of the desired outputs, whereas benefit-cost analysis goes a further step and tries to estimate a value for those outputs in some fashion, typically in terms of money or (rarely) actual utility.
American democracy values process and procedure such as having a say in policy issues that affect you, transparency, fairness as well as substance
In addition to building up legitimacy for your work, you may be surprised at how much you can learn, especially from people who are very unlike yourself socially or ideologically.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that “more participation” or “greater access to the process” necessarily equates to “more democratic” or “more rational.” Greater opportunities for participation may be exploited more heavily by those with more time to participate or by those with special interests to protect or by ideological zealots.
A feasible policy must not violate constitutional, statutory, or common law rights. Remember, however, that legal rights are constantly changing and are often ambiguous.
Step Five: Project the Outcomes (the hardest step)
For each of the alternatives on your current list, project all the outcomes (or impacts) that you or other interested parties might reasonably care about.
Think that a combination of practical and psychological difficulties must be confronted
First, policy is about the future not about the past or the present, but we can never be certain about how the future will unfold, even if we engage it with the best of intentions and the most thoughtful of policy designs.
Second, “project the outcomes” is another way of saying, “Be realistic.”
Policy can affect people’s lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, for better or for worse. Making policy, therefore, imposes a moral burden heavier than many people care to acknowledge
Step Six: Confront the Trade Offs:
It sometimes happens that one of the policy alternatives under consideration is expected to produce a better outcome than any of the other alternatives with regard to every single evaluative criterion. In that case— called “dominance”—there are no trade-offs among the alternatives.
A common pitfall in confronting trade-offs is to think and speak of the trade-offs as being across alternatives rather than across projected outcomes—for example, “trading off twenty foot-patrol police officers in the late night hours against a lower-maintenance-cost fleet of police vehicles.”
Both alternatives must first be converted into outcomes before genuine trade-offs can be confronted
The most common trade-off is between money and a good or service received by some proportion of the citizenry, such as extending library hours from 8 p.m. till 10 p.m., weighed against a cost of $200,000 annually.
Another common trade-off, especially in regulatory policies, involves weighing privately borne costs (a company’s installing pollution abatement equipment) against social benefits (improved health of the affected population and the protection of forests)
Step Seven: Decide!
as a check on how well you have done your work up to this point. Even though you personally may not be the decision maker, you should at this point pretend that you are. Then, decide what to do, based on your own analysis.
If you find this decision difficult or troublesome, the reason may be that you have not clarified the trade-offs sufficiently
Think of it this way: unless you can convince yourself of the credibility of some course of action, you probably won’t be able to convince your client—and rightly so
Step Eight: Tell your Story
Be able to explain that you’ve working on “the problem of. . . .” by providing a coherent, down-to-earth explanation
If you are making a clear recommendation, make sure that you raise and rebut possible objections to it that might occur to various important audiences. Also make sure that you compare it to what you or others might regard as the next best course of action, so as to be ready to show why yours is better
Your story’s flow should be designed with the reader’s (or listener’s) needs and interests and abilities in mind. In both written and oral presentations, it should be evident to the audience what motivates the entire analysis. Therefore, it is best to open with a statement of the problem your analysis addresses
Sometimes it helps to structure your narrative flow as though you were leading the reader by the hand down the Eightfold Path. But usually this approach is a mistake. The purpose of the Eightfold Path, remember, is to help you think through a complicated problem. It is not at all necessary to use it in telling the story, though some aspects of it sometimes help.
