Public Policy Reading

1. Smith and Larimer Public Policy as a Field of Study

a. Public policy is difficult to define precisely because there are other
disciplines that look at what others do, it is hard to have a productive
conversation in this field of study, and it is highly subjective. It lacks a
single theoretical framework (value-based) and has subfields that
develop independently of each other. Since it lacks a theoretical
approach, they suggest an ad hoc and scientific approach.
i. Ad hoc means to beg, borrow, or steal from frameworks
developed.
ii. Scientific means to construct assumptions about causal
relationships, test hypotheses, and refine model.
2. Heclo Issue Networks
a. An issue network is a shared knowledge group related to some aspect
of public policy. Compared to an iron triangle, there is more variety of
interests and the boundaries are more difficult to defineanyone
paying attention is included. There are multiple agencies and players
involved and more of a role available for technocrats and experts. Iron
triangles are an outdated view of policymaking. Policy is getting
increasingly complex and government is doing more. In his opinion,
the role of expertise and transparency of information is more
inclusive and more democratic.
3. Federalist #10
a. He says that to control faction, we need to counter evil with evil, and
warns against the tyranny of the majority. He advocates for a republic
form of government vs. a pure democracy.
4. Federalist #51
a. This argues for checks and balances, separation of powers, and
federalism. Ambition must be made to counter ambition.
5. Jenkins-Smith and Sabatier Advocacy Coalition Framework
a. There are 3 belief systems: deep core, policy core, and secondary.
Policy change happens with external shocks and policy-oriented
learning. Learning is essentialACFs will use information to further
policy objectives.
6. Lindblom The Science of Muddling Through
a. There are two policy choice methods: Rational-comprehensive and
successive limited comparisons. He says the rational-comprehensive
model doesnt allow for exclusion of factors. There are so many
competing values, efficiency problems, limited resources, time, and
cognitive ability. He still views policymaking as a logical sequence of
events. In the rational-comprehensive model, the test of good policy
is the best one, and in the limited-comprehensive model, we just need
agreement and consensus. Policy change in limited-comprehensive is
incremental, whereas rational-comprehensive is abrupt and seismic.
7. Schneider and Ingram Social Construction of Target Populations
a. Social constructions of target populations have potentially powerful
effects on policy agendas and policy designs. These can help us
understand policy design, winners and losers, who participates, and
democratic governance.
8. Baumgartner and Jones Agendas & Instability in American Politics
a. They argue for punctuated equilibria, which is influenced by the
exclusion of the apathetic. Policy stability is maintained by existing
political institutions and issue definitions, which can lead to a policy
monopoly. Policy change happens when people begin to pay attention.
9. Bardach A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis
a. His Eightfold path includes:
i. Define the problem
1. Why is this a public problem?
2. Deficit and excess
3. Quantify problem
4. Diagnose conditions
5. Go beyond issue rhetoric
6. Identify latent opportunities
ii. Assemble selective evidence
1. Economize
2. Look around (best practices, analogies, etc)
3. Seek other points of view
iii. Construct the alternatives
1. Start comprehensive, end up focused
2. Model system (market models, production models)
3. Conceptualize list and simplify
iv. Select the criteria
1. Evaluative criteria: efficiency,
equality/equity/fairness/justice, process values
(democracy, transparency), freedom, community, other
values, legality, political acceptability, robustness and
approvability, cost
2. Distinguish among criteria (values to be maximized,
minimally satisfied, more-is-better
3. Approaches to weighting conflicting criteria
a. Political process takes care of it, distribution of
rights takes care of it, analyst imposes a solution
v. Project the outcomes
1. Be realistic, provide estimate magnitudes, use break-
even analysis
2. Use sensitivity analysis
3. Confront optimism and emergent-features problem.
4. Construct an outcomes matrix.
vi. Confront the trade-offs
1. Focus on outcomes, not alternatives.
2. Establish commensurability and a base case.
vii. Decide
1. Apply the $20 bill test
viii. Tell your story
1. Elevator pitch test
2. Gauge audiences
3. Logical narrative flow
10. DeLeon and deLeon What Ever Happened to Policy Implementation?
a. They argue for a bottom-up approach as the key to successful
implementation. This approach is more practical and democratic, but
less speedy. They also factor in contingency theories, which
emphasize context.
11. McLaughlin Lessons from Policy Implementation
a. He argues that local factors influence the implementation of policies.
In turn, policy success depends on capacity and will, and a balance of
pressure and support is key. The smallest unit (the individual) is the
key to change.
b. The myth of rational man implementers are not always rational
12. Bovens, Hart, and Kuipers The Politics of Policy Evaluation
a. Bovens argues that policy evaluation is the continuation of politics by
other means.
i. Rationalistic tradition objectivity and neutrality; tries to
avoid pressures of politics
ii. Argumentative tradition policy evaluation as a contribution
to informed debate; explicitly incorporates politics in the
analysis
b. They push for a revisionist approach to politics, which distinguishes
between the programmatic and political dimensions.
i. Programmatic focus on effectiveness, efficiency, and
resilience of specific policies being evaluated
ii. Political refers to how policies and policymakers become
represented and evaluated in the political arena; determine
whether programmatic success is acknowledged by relevant
stakeholders and audiences
13. Kraft and Furlong Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives
a. Public policy is what public officials within government, and by
extension the citizens they represent, choose to do (or not do) about
public problems, therefore requiring government intervention.
b. Politics refers to how public policies are formed and implemented.
c. Policy Stages Model of Lasswell = logical sequence of events
i. Agenda setting
ii. Policy formulation
iii. Policy legitimation
iv. Implementation
v. Program evaluation
vi. Policy change
14. Kingdon Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies
a. Policymaking includes the following processes (AAAD):
i. Agenda setting
1. Public opinions impact on this and alternatives is
limitedclamor follows the activities of a circle of
experts
ii. Alternatives specification
iii. Alternative choices
iv. Decision Implementation
b. Agendas and alternatives are shaped by participants in the
policymaking process and the process streams (Problems, Politics,
and Policies)
i. Policy Window opportunity for policy entrepreneurs
1. Problem stream Indicators, focusing events, feedback
2. Politics stream national mood, organized political
forces, events within government; more bargaining
rather than persuasion
3. Policy stream ideas and policy entrepreneur; need
technical feasibility, value acceptability, tolerable cost,
public acquiescence, receptivity among elected officials
c. Elected officials are the most influential
i. Executive Branch President proposes; Congress disposes
1. Resources
a. Executive order, institutional resources, gather
public attention, his agenda takes priority in
congress, unity of consensus
2. Influence is contingent on
a. Public opinion, Congresss approval, political
situation, presidents popularity, interest groups,
polarization of parties
ii. Legislative Branch Congress very influential over agendas
and alternatives
1. Resources
a. Power of the purse, all laws need their approval,
override veto, press coverage
2. Incentives
a. Satisfying constituents (present and future),
partisanship, re-election, super PACs and
interest groups, reputations, making good public
policy
iii. Short attention span of the mediatends to report on what
government is already doing; serves as a communication tool
rather than having an independent impact
iv. Interest Groups
1. Very influential, but usually use influence to block
rather than initiate agenda items, and propose
amendments or substitutes for alternatives already on
the agenda