Chapter 1 Public Policy and Politics Public Policy what public officials within the government and by extension the citizens they represent choose to do or not to do about public problems o Associated with formally approved policy goals and means as well as the regulations and practices of agencies that implement programs Public problems the conditions the public widely perceives to be unacceptable and that therefore require intervention Policy a purposive course of action that an individual or group consistently follows in dealing with a problem a standing decision characterized by behavioral consistency and repetitiveness on the part of both those who make it and those who abide by it Policy Goals what the policymakers hope that intervention will accomplish Policy Outputs the formal actions that governments take to pursue their goals policy Policy outcomes the effects that actions have on the issue or target of the The Common Good the general good of all people in a community state or nation Also refers to goods such as national defense that could in principle be private but instead are provided by government because private markets cannot do so Also called a public good Government the institutions and political processes through which public policy choices are made These institutions and political processes represent the legal authority to govern or rule a group of people Politics the exercise of power in society or in specific decisions over public policy refers to the processes of policymaking and the roles played by elected officials interest groups public opinion and political parties o How conflicts in society are expressed and resolved or not resolved Republican Party core constituents include business interests political conservatives farmers suburban and rural residents Democratic Party core constituents include labor interests environmentalists racial minorities political liberals and residents of urban areas Policy Analysis deconstructing the object of study breaking it down into basic elements Social Context social conditions affect policy decisions in many ways o Urban sprawl o Inner city crime rates o Immigration Economic Context like social context but refers to the social conditions created by the economy o Inflation o Unemployment Political Context conditions in the political arena o Strength of the two major parties o Influence of minor parties o Ideological differences among the public Conservatives argue for less government intrusion into the economy favor strong government role in achieving social goals banning abortions gay marriage Liberals oppose government threats to civil liberties and individual rights but call for government regulation of business activity to protect consumers workers or the environment Weak party system political parties do not control politicians they can deviate from the policy of the political party Governing Context the structure and performance of the government Political Culture widely held values beliefs and attitudes such as trust and confidence in government and the political process or lack thereof o Includes commitment to individualism property rights freedom pragmatism or practicality equality and similar values Market failure when the private market is not efficient some argue that such a failure provides a justification for government intervention o Existence of monopolies o Externalities o Information failure o Inability to provide for the public good Negative Externality market failure that occurs when two parties interact in a market and a third party is harmed as a result and does not get compensated Positive Externality market failure that occurs the same way as a negative externality but the third party gains something from the two party interaction and does not have to pay for it Information failure market failure that occurs when willing buyers and sellers do not possess all of the information needed to enter into a transaction or exchange Toll Goods defined by ability to be jointly consumed and exclusion is feasible An example is cable television services Common Pool Resources shared by a society and available to all to consume such as oceans lakes rivers and public lands Also represents a type of market failure in which a good is defined by its ability not to be jointly consumed and for which exclusion is not feasible Pure Public Good defined by its ability to be jointly consumed and for which exclusion is not feasible police protection Logic of collective action interest group theory that suggests that a single individual would be irrational to join an interest group when almost no personal gain would follow Efficiency what a policy costs in relation to its benefits Effectiveness whether a current policy or program is likely to work Equity consideration of what constitutes a fair or equitable policy choice Political feasibility concerns how government officials and other policy actors appraise the acceptability of a proposal Chapter 2 Government Institutions and Policy Actors Policy gridlock When political decision makers are unable or unwilling to compromise in a way that permits public policy action The government is much much larger today than it was in the past and its still growing o Our original government was much more efficient as it was smaller and served a smaller nation society has also grown a lot more complicated Policy capacity government s ability to identify assess and respond to public problems Federalism consists of a strong national government that shares power with lesser governments of states within the nation The relationship between the federal and state governments have evolved over time Dual Federalism when the functions or responsibilities of each level of government are distinct little integration of the two levels of government exists Cooperative Federalism when the national government is more involved in different policies through collaboration between the national and state governments Block grants Transfers of federal dollars to the states where the states have substantial discretion in how to spend the money to meet the needs of their citizens Categorical Grants Transfers of federal dollars to the states where the funding must be used for specific purposes Unfunded Mandates Federal requirements placed upon the state governments without sufficient funds for implementation o Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 1995 limited federal financial Decentralization transfer of policy
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