Introduction to Public Policy Analysis

1
Introduction to Public Policy Analysis

• What is Public Policy?

2
Class Debates Memo

• Debate Instructions
• On each of the following dates, two pairs of
  students will be assigned to debate a particular
  policy question that is relevant to the topic we
  are covering that week. Students may divide
  responsibilities as they see fit, but both
  students will be graded as a team. Arguments for
  or against a particular policy may take the form
  of empirical and/or normative arguments. You
  will be graded on the effectiveness of your
  argument, and especially how well you document
  your claims. For each team, the presentation
  should comprise 10-15 minutes of class time, and
  should be presented in the form of a PowerPoint
  presentation. Each student will turn in a 1-2
  page summary of their arguments, which should
  include documentation of the sources for their
  research. For the weeks that you are not
  presenting, students should be prepared to
  participate in a general discussion after the
  presentations. Your grade for this portion of
  the course will be based on both the quality of
  your presentations (3/4) and your participation
  as an audience member (1/4). Material presented
  by students during these presentations will be
  fair game for exams.

3
Reading

• Wilson Chapters 1-2
• Lowi, Theodore J. 1972. "Four Systems of Policy,
  Politics and Choice." Public Administration
  Review 32 298-310.
• Cobb, Rodger, et. al. 1976. Agenda Building as a
  Comparative Process. American Political Science
  Review. March.

4
Summary

• What is public policy?
• Why do we need public policy?
• Policy Typologies (Lowi 1972)
• Ideology and Public Policy
• Policy Theory (Cobb et al. 1976)

5
Answer the following questions

• What is public policy (generally)?
• Give one example of a public policy?

6
What is Public Policy?

• Wilson The authoritative statements or actions
  of government which reflect the decisions,
  values, or goals of policymakers. (Wilson, 12)

7
What is Public Policy?

• Peters Public policy is the sum of government
  activities, whether pursued directly or through
  agents, as those activities have an influence on
  the lives of citizens.

8
What is Public Policy?

• The combination of basic decisions, commitments,
  and actions made by those who hold or affect
  government positions of authority. (Gerston)
• What governments do. (Dye)

9
What is Public Policy?

• Public policy is not (solely) legislation.
• Public policy is a process.

10
3 Levels of Policy

• Choices
• Decisions (policy statements)
• Outputs
• Action (policy activities)
• Impacts
• Effects on our lives

11
The Stages of the Policy Process

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition (policy feedback)

12
The Stages of the Policy Process

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition (policy feedback)

CHOICES
13
The Stages of the Policy Process

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition (policy feedback)

CHOICES
OUTPUTS
14
The Stages of the Policy Process

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition (policy feedback)

CHOICES
OUTPUTS
IMPACT
15
Example Welfare Reform 1988

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition

The JOBS Program
Enforcement of Work Reqs
lt5 w/earned income
16
Why do we need public policy?
17
Mancur Olson and the Logic of Collective Action
18
Collective (public) goods vs. private goods

• Private goods are excludable (usually through
  pricing)
• Collective goods are non-excludable
• examples of collective goods?
• the problem with collective goods?

19
Mancur Olson and The Logic of Collective Action

• Incentive to contribute costs of contributing
  benefits of contributing
• Cost of contributing gt 0
• Benefit of contributing 1/size of group
• What does this suggest when the group size is
  large?

20
Mancur Olson and The Logic of Collective Action

• Free-rider problem Inherently, the provision
  of collective goods will always be plagued by
  individuals who would rather free-ride on the
  efforts of others, and thus collective goods will
  be under-provided.

21
Mancur Olson and The Logic of Collective Action

• How to overcome the free-rider problem?
• selective incentives benefits/costs that an
  individual may incur only by contributing/not
  contributing to the provision of the collective
  good

22
Policy Typologies

• Symbolic Policies
• Emotional appeal embodies values/ideals
• Substantive Policies
• Transfer of resources significant impact
• Procedural Policies
• Outlines the steps in a process

23
Policy Typologies

• Lowis Typology
• policies determine politics
• Policies evaluated across two dimensions
• Likelihood of coercion (remote vs. immediate)
• Applicability of coercion (individual vs.
  environment)

24
Policy Typologies

• Lowis Typology
• Distributive Policies allocate benefits to the
  larger population costs tend to be widely
  dispersed too
• Redistributive Policies allocate benefits to a
  narrow, targeted population (the poor) costs
  tend to be targeted as well (the rich)
• Regulatory Policies competitive (regulation of
  market competition) and protective (protection of
  public from perceived harm)

25
Policy Typologies

• Morality Policies
• Policies justified based on moral values
• Highly salient
• Low information
• High levels of citizen participation /
  ideologically charged

26
Policy Theories

• Purpose to explain variation (change) in public
  policies (over time)

27
Policy Theories

• State-Centered Theories
• Focus on government actors (organizations, key
  individuals) as the primary initiators of change

28
Policy Theories

• Decision Theory
• Rational Decision Making
• Incremental Decision Making

29
Policy Theories

• Pluralist Theory (of Democracy)
• Assumptions
• While not everyone votes, nearly everyone belongs
  to or is represented by organization(s)
• These organizations represent the political
  interests of their members
• Government is responsive to politically organized
  interests
• No single group wins all the time
• Interest group competition

30
Policy Theories

• Elitist Theory (of Democracy)
• Key assumption
• There exists a dominant class (elites) who
  monopolize political power
• Ordinary citizens (the masses) have relatively
  little power over matters that are of concern to
  elites

31
Policy Cycle Model

• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• ?
• Agenda Formation
• ?
• Policy Adoption
• ?
• Policy Implementation
• ?
• Policy Evaluation
• ?
• Problem Re-Definition (feedback to problem
  definition)

32
Agenda Setting

• Focus on first two stages
• Problem Definition (Issue formation)
• Agenda Formation
• Cobb, Ross and Ross 1976. Agenda Building as a
  Comparative Process. American Political Science
  Review. March.

33
Types of Agendas

• Public Agenda
• Issues which have received a high level of
  public interest and visibility (Cobb, et al.)
  

34
The Public Agenda (Jan. 2008)

• Gallop (1/10-13/2008)
• What type of change would you most like to see
  the next president bring about?

35
The Public Agenda (Jan. 2008)

36
Types of Agendas

• Public Agenda
• Issues which have received a high level of
  public interest and visibility (Cobb, et al.)
  
• Formal Agenda (Government)
• Systemic agenda full set of issues thought to
  be potentially deserving of government action
• Institutional agenda the actual set of issues
  which government addresses

37
Problem Definition

• How do policy issues emerge?

38
Problem Definition

• How do policy issues emerge? Triggering
  mechanisms
• a critical event (or set of events) that
  converts a routine problem into a widely shared,
  negative public response. (Gerston, 23)

39
Dimensions of triggering mechanisms

• Scope of people affected
• Intensity perceived importance
• Time length of time a critical event unfolds
• Policy issues most likely to progress through the
  policy process when scope and intensity are high,
  and the critical event(s) happens quickly.
• Triggering mechanisms constitute linkage between
  the perception of a problem and demand for
  political action.

40
Types of triggering mechanisms

• Internal - natural catastrophes, economic
  calamities, technological breakthroughs, social
  evolution
• vs.
• External acts of war, indirect conflicts,
  economic confrontations, balance of power
• Planned vs. Unplanned

41
Examples of Triggering Mechanisms?
42
Examples of Triggering Mechanisms?

• Civil Rights Policy
• 1960s Civil Rights Movement ? Civil Rights
  Act, Voting Rights Act
• Environmental Policy
• 1970s Arab oil embargo 1973 ? various energy
  policies
• Social Welfare Policy
• 1930s Great Depression ?New Deal legislation
• 1960s Harrington/Television/Civil Rights
  Movement ? Johnsons War on Poverty

43
Examples of Triggering Mechanisms?

• Education Policy
• 1950s Cold War/Sputnik(1957) ? Natl Defense
  Education Act (1958)
• 1960s War on Poverty ? Elementary and Secondary
  Education Act (1965)
• Economic Policy
• 1980s/1990s Large trade deficits ? Legislation
  to increase economic competitiveness
• Criminal Justice
• 1980s/90s Discovery of crack cocaine ? War
  on Drugs

44
The Politics of Agenda Setting

• How do issues reach the formal agenda?
• Cobb, Ross and Ross (1976)
• Three models of agenda building

45
The Outside Initiative Model
Government (formal agenda)
Public Agenda
Issue Expansion
Other Groups
Initiating Group
46
Example The Civil Rights Movement
47
Example The Civil Rights Movement
48
Strategies for Issue Expansion

• Media
• Issue Framing

49
The Mobilization Model
Government (formal agenda)
Mass Public
Public Agenda
50
The Inside Initiative Model
Government (formal agenda)
Insider Group
Mass Public
Public Agenda
51
Theories of Policy Adoption

• Government policy choice
• Policy choices, policy tools
• A product of different (often competing) factors
• Attitudes of policymakers
• Interest group preferences/strength
• Public (electorate) preferences
• Features of political institutions

52
Political Ideology

• What issues define the left-right
  (liberal-conservative) cleavage in the U.S.?

53
Ideological Self-Placement in the U.S. (2006, GSS)
54
U.S. Voter Liberalism in Comparative
Perspective(Source Kim and Fording 1998)
55
U.S. Public Mood (Stimson)
56
(No Transcript)
57
(No Transcript)
58
(No Transcript)
59
(No Transcript)
60
Theories of Policy Implementation

• Statutory Factors (goals, resources)
• Degree of Change (Target Population)
• Environmental Factors (esp. political
  environment)
• Implementing Agency (commitment)

61
Example of Bureaucratic Discretion TANF
Sanctioning in Florida

• TANF Program and Sanctioning
• Caseworker interpretation of rules
• Good cause

62
Sanction rates vary considerably from region to
region and from county to county.Percent of
TANF Adults Sanctioned During First TANF Spell
Based on average of 24 cohorts entering TANF
from January 2001 to December 2002
63
Sanctioning Rates and Ideology
64
(No Transcript)