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Rational Modelo Decision making is grounded in economic principleso Brings pure rationality into public decision makingo Relative value, effectiveness, and incremental comparison should determine which alternative should be chosenSatisficing o Entails lowering the bar in terms of goal attainment then choosing a policy alternative that satisfices this lower standardo Decision makers who satisfice choose policy that are thought to be good enoughIncrementalismo Realistically only a few policy alternative can be considered at one timeo These policies do not differ radically from existing policieso Condones the status quoRevised Garbage Can Modelo Defies conventional wisdom by claiming that the decision-making process is neither systematic nor neatly defined within the context of political arenao Decision making is chaotico Understood in three separate streams Problem - Refers to an understanding of “how and why one set of problems ratherthan another comes to occupy officials attention” Political - Represents the pulse if the nation as conveyed through public opinion, election results or ideological shifts as evidenced through public and special interest campaigns Policy- Administrators, technocrats, researchers, and political staffers formulate policy proposals- Wait for compelling problems to emerge and present their respective proposals as plausible solutions  The three converge at critical times (a crisis)Participatory Modelo Assumes that a diverse group of individuals will act in a consultative capacityo Rules and Lawso People affected by a problem or a potential course of action are afforded the opportunity to provide input Documented through public meetings or hearings, advisory boards and citizen advocacy groupso Examples can be the writings of federal regulationso Captivity  Decision makers too dependent on information from interest groups run the riskof being swayed into making decisions that serves the interest groups more than the organization itself- Underemphasize organizational values and goals and over emphasize the values and goals of clientele groupso Derived from a school of pluralismElite Theoryo Assumes that a select few are afforded the privilege of making decisionso There is a separation between the elite members and the masses o Democracy means only that the people have the opportunity of accepting or refusing the men who are to rule themo Being one of the elite may center on an individual knowledge level, education or status within a public organizationo Mills feels that the professional bureaucrats and party politicians are essentially subservient to members of the elite who move in and out of government, pausing for relatively brief stays opposed to the career orientation of professionals Political Modelo Assumes that intra-organizational coalitions compete for influenceo Establishes which alternatives should be chosen or discardedo “game playing” Pleasing superiors, becoming sycophants in order to gain powerPublic Choice Theoryo Derived from microeconomicso Argues that self interest determines how decisions are madeo Bureaucrats will make decisions that minimize risks and maximize rewardso Theorist underscore the importance of efficiency and they tend to champion government contracting out and the privatization of government servicesDysfunctions in Decision Making o Asking for input makes us feel uncomfortableo Listening to paid employees is more efficient and cost effective then hiring consultants o Group Decision Making dynamics Poorest decision are made when members are engaged in a power struggle Over conformity is another decision making dysfunctiono Groupthink  Specialized form of conformity Occurs ONLY in highly cohesive groups that operate in an environment where there is a feeling of security Primary goal is to maintain power and cohesiveness Characterized by extreme conformity that gets in the way of critical analysis- Directive leadership- Group homogeneity in terms of ideals and background- Isolation from outside influences Symptoms of groupthink- Illusion of invulnerability: refers to the group’s over estimation of its worth- Stereotyping: refers to an “us versus them” dichotomy - Rationalization: shared rationalizations are used to dismiss warning signs of the potential dangers of groupthink- Moral high ground: the belief that the group has a monopoly on what is right or just- Self-censorship: if a member of the group has doubts or missing dissenting opinion, that individual keeps such thoughts to him or herself- Illusion of unanimity: The illusion that everyone within a group agrees 100 percent with a given course of action reinforces self-censorship- Pressure applied to group dissenters: pressure is applied to any group member who may desire to speak out against the group’s decision maker - Mind guarding: deals with protecting the group’s leader form internal dissenters or criticismReform and Neutralityo Competence V Responsiveness has been a historical struggleo Election of Andrew Jackson ushered the “spoils system” Central to the spoils system was the belief in more responsiveness Jackson believed that any person was capable of executing the simple task of public management  Inefficient, profiteering, and corrupting was prevalent o Wilson championed a dichotomy between the determination and implementation of policy  Policy determination should occur via political process Policy implantation should be the realm of apolitical administrators ONLYo Pendleton Civil Act of 1883 Created a bipartisan Civil Service Commission - The predecessor of the system that is responsible for 90% of government employees- Critics maintain that significant price has been paid for this type of merit-based system. By being too shielded from politics, mediocrity and incompetence has again become persuasive so much that the system arguably rivals Jackson spoils era- Critics argue that corruption has yet to be eliminated  Creation of civil service provided the basis for more businesslike governmento Wilson says that public administration needed to emerge as a profession and public administrators need to conduct themselves as such, that is public administrators must be responsible, professional and efficiento Good governance stresses that efficient service delivery is vital to the public’s interest o Administration and politics should remain separateo Public administrators


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FSU PAD 3003 - Rational Model

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