Ch 4 149 169 Satisficing and Incrementalism Revised Garbage Can Model Individuals do not follow the rational model when making decisions they avoid rational decision making through o Satisficing o Incrementalism The Incrementalism Decision making model suggest that o Realistically only few policies can be considered at one time o These policies do not differ radically for existing policies therefore Change occurs through decisions that have an incremental effect This model is more realistic approach to public decision making it provides greater flexibility w time sensitive polices Often criticized b c it condones the status quo One response to Incrementalism is sunset provision under which an agency program or law expires automatically following a specified period unless the legislature vote to reenact it Ex USA Patriot Act Kingdon defies conventional wisdom by claiming that the decision making process is neither systematic nor neatly defined w in the context of the political arena o Believes that it is chaotic Revised G Can Model can be understood in the context of 3 separate streams that operate independently o Problem stream o Political stream represents the pulse of the nation as conveyed through public opinion election results or ideological shifts evident through public special interest campaigns o Policy stream administrators technocrats researchers and political staffers formulate policy proposals In absence of a societal problem with which advocates can link their proposals a change in the political climate is necessary for certain policies to be given consideration o Policy advocates increase chances of influencing agenda setting process given the convergence of the 3 streams the policy window widens likelihood that policy will be considered When a problem emerges and the political climate is ripe for policy certain preferences The 3 streams converge at critical times crisis o Ex Brady Bill now Law in response to assassination attempt on Regan it implemented the 5 day waiting policy and background check Participatory Model Participatory decision making assumes that a diverse group of individuals representing a diverse set of interest will act in a consultative capacity o They are permitted to provide input if they are affected by a problem or potential course of action Input is documented through public meetings hearings advisory boards and citizen advocacy groups Deals with the writing of federal regulations or rules o Rules have the same impact as laws they exist for the purpose of protecting citizens Rules are NOT passed by Congress or legislative state level o The Federal gov writes and rewrites thousands of rules each year They rely on private individuals business owners for information Binding referenda represents more extreme cases of participatory decision making o Through referenda citizens are given the authority to accept reject specific policy actions through the ballot box Decision makers too dependent on information from interest groups need to be cautious as they can be led towards the interest that benefit the interest groups and their clientele interest known as captivity o Captive Organizations undermine organizational values and goals and overemphasize the values goals of their clientele groups Participation ensures stability and prosperity of our political system o w in a pluralistic society it is a vehicle by which factions compete for political access and policy preferences o Pluralism is predicted upon collective behavior and compromise Pluralism organizations serve to prevent domination and create mutual control Dahl Elite Theory Assumes that a select few are afforded the privilege of making decisions o Separation exist between the elite members of government and the masses Elite Theory of Democracy Schumpeter o democracy does not mean and cannot mean that the people actually rule in any obvious sense Democracy means only that the people have the opportunity of accepting or refusing the men who are to rule them Being one of the Elite may center on an individuals knowledge level education or status w in a public organization The Power Elite Mills Widely noted argument for an elitist determination of important decisions The concept of decision making w in arenas of government is one of the executive rather than congressional determinations especially electorate Elites fill president VP cabinet members dept and bureau heads agency commission heads and the White House staff Political Model Political decision making model assumes that intra organizational coalitions compete for influence o this competition est which alternatives are chosen discarded o The more powerful coalition wins out The Political Model is thought to be equal to office game play o Office Games are designed to improve an individuals position while at the same time hurt and eventually eliminating alternative viewpoints Game Players o Skill full at pleasing their superiors becoming minions for the sole purpose of gaining power o They support their superiors decisions at all costs even to the point of with holding info that might keep superior from making a bad decision o Risky and unsafe positions are never taken o When another brings up good idea their response is I was thinking the same thing o Players energy is centered towards building alliances and consolidating power which will be used to exert influence over future decisions Public Choice Theory organizations made Derived from microeconomics study of economic behavior of individuals and Supporters of this theory argue that self interest determines how decisions are Public Choice Theory undermines the importance of efficiency and put emphasis on government contracting out and privatization of gov services Dysfunctions in the Decision Making The primary goal of group think is maintain power and cohesiveness Egos can cause bureaucratic Waterloos managers can fall victim to the image of the isolated decision maker making difficult choices When decisions receive a stamp of approval from subordinates they may meet the immediate needs of the boss BUT they tend to fail to meet the needs of the organization or its clients In virtually all cases after questioning etc the original idea will result in the formulation of a new one due to this Listening to paid employees is more efficient and cost effective than hiring well paid consultants employees will resist them Any organization under recall knows decisions shard could have avoided
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