The Dynamics of Public Policy: A systems Model

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The Dynamics of Public Policy A systems Model
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Stages

• Stages of public policy
• problem identification and definition
• agenda setting
• policy formulation
• policy legitimation
• policy implementation
• policy change
• policy evaluation

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Policy Process ModelPolicy Cycle
Problem definition/ Agenda setting
Policy evaluation feedback
Policy formulation
Policy change
Policy implementation
Policy legitimation
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Stage One Identifying Problems

• There are always a lot of problems and they can
  be defined in different ways.
• Relatively few identified problems receive
  attention

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A political problem involves

• A perception that something is wrong
• A belief that the problem can be ameliorated by
  public action

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Why Do Some Problems Receive Attention?

• A. Problems-- that become an agenda item
• Issues that government officials and/or the
  public focus on (fuel economy, clean air,
  unemployment)
• Issues mandated by law and/or commonly monitored
  (annual reports to Congress, child vaccinations,
  education outcomes, international events)
• Focusing events the attacks on 9/11 and
  Hurricane Katrina brought attention to Americas
  preparedness for disasters

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Politics and Participants

• B. Politics
• Problem becomes focus of attention because of a
  change in administrationRomney versus Obama
• C. Because of the participants Important people
  or groups are interested in the problem
• president and staff
• congressional leadership
• media
• powerful interest groups
• judiciary

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• Four types of Issue Agendas
• Agendas can be classified in four groups
• periodically recurring issues
• sporadically recurring issues
• crisis-based issues
• new or chosen issues

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Agendas as Political Power

• Establishing the agenda means control over policy
• Political power can be used to alter the agenda
• Political power can be used to keep issues off
  the agenda

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Agenda Setting
Problem stream
Opportunity for agenda items
Policy stream
Political stream
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Policy Formulation begins with Problem Definition

• Can the problem or problems be defined?
• What is the major problem or problems that need
  to be solved?
• Is there agreement on the basic problem or
  problems?
• More often than not, agreement is lacking or
  disputed.

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Stage Two Policy Formulation

• Define policy alternatives that can be debated.
• Whos involved? Very fragmented in American
  system.
• Members of Congress
• Executive/Bureaucracy
• Government Staffs
• Interest groups
• Judiciary

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Who designs or writes policies?

• The public bureaucracygovernment agencies
• Select committees
• Think tanks
• Interest groupsgenerally very important
• Members of Congress and their staffs

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How are Policy Options or Solutions vetted?

• Technical Feasibility/costs
• Consistency with community values
• Support from important groups
• Anticipation of future problems or constraints
• Debates between the political parties

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Example Welfare Reform

• Problems Identified and Debated
• Increases in the number of unemployed people on
  welfare
• Increases in the number of children born
  out-of-wedlock
• Increases in parental abandonment
• Increase in welfare costs

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Democratic Party Plan

• Require work of able-bodied adults and make sure
  work pays a decent wage
• Improve child support enforcement
• Set up programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies
  (sex education)
• Support work for adults with child care and
  health care services
• Create public service and subsidized jobs

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Republican Plan

• Cap welfare spending
• Turn welfare over to the states
• Set lifetime limits on how long healthy adults
  can receive welfare
• Allow states to use strong sanctions to force
  change in habits
• Deny assistance to teens who become pregnant
• Eliminate aid to legal immigrants

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Compromise New Legislation Passed in 1996

• Caps spending on central welfare program--TANF
• Turns welfare over to states, but sets guidelines
• Requires supported work of healthy adults
• Puts a lifetime limit on welfare enrollment
• Requires both parents to accept responsibility
  for children
• Funds abstinence sex education for teens
• Denies welfare to most legal immigrants
• A compromise but one that gave the Republicans
  most of what they wanted.

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Stage Three Policy Legitimation

• Policy has a better chance of being implemented
  as intended if it is considered to be legitimate
• It is legitimate if
• Citizens agree that government action is required
  and appropriatebut there might be a lot of
  disagreement

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Stage Four Policy Implementation

• Activities that put policies into effect
• Passing the required laws
• Formulating rules and regulations
• Allocating a budget
• Setting deadlines
• Assigning enforcement or implementation authority

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Implementation Often Involves Delegation

• To carry out the policy agencies may delegate
  power to other government entities or even
  private subcontractors.

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Delegation of Authority Occurs when

• Government confers upon an administrative or
  private subcontractors rulemaking power that it
  could exercise itself.

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Limits on Discretion

• Administrative Procedures passed into law limit
  the authority of implementing agencies
• Congress and the executive branch establish
  oversight procedures and requirements
• Example The food stamp program in Texas

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Presidential Oversight of Policy Implementation
Includes

• Appointment Power
• Budgetary Power
• Reorganizations
• Guidelines for Enforcement
• Executive Orders
• Required evaluations

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Congressional Oversight of Implementation Includes

• Committee Hearings
• Budgetary Power
• Investigations (General Accounting Office)
• Informal (phone calls, letters, etc.)
• Enactment of a statute
• Deadlines

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Stage Five Evaluation of Change

• Different types of changes
• direct vs. indirect
• short-term vs. long-term
• Evaluation puts information back into the policy
  processthis is called feedback.
• Normally a policy has to be in effect for some
  time (even years) before its impact can be
  measured.

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Developing Evaluation CriteriaSome Examples

• Effectiveness, efficiency, fairness, political
  feasibility
• Are their unintended consequences
• Decide which criteria fit the problem(s)

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Evaluation may include

• Measurement of Change
• Listing of positive and negative changes
• Listing of changes that still need to be
  accomplished
• Cost-Benefit Analysis How much has change cost?
• What is the ethical impact of the law?

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Stage Six Feedback

• Information and data on impact of law or
  regulation is communicated to government
  officials and public.
• Feedback plays a role in shaping amendments to
  exiting laws or the passage of new laws.
• This is the learning stage.

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Incrementalism

• Since most policy problems are addressed in
  incremental fashion addressing part of the
  problem but not all of it-
• The feedback loop often results in the process
  starting over, often building on the laws that
  have been implemented.
• Sometimes the feedback process results in
  rejecting the old approach in favor of a new
  direction.

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Policy Process ModelPolicy Cycle
Problem definition/ Agenda setting
Policy evaluation feedback
Policy formulation
Policy change
Policy implementation
Policy legitimation