Chap 13- POL 211 (Fall 2019)


Chap 13                

                                                  Politics, Analysis and policy Choice

        The way policy makes design and advocate for public policies can make them more or less effective, efficient and fair, and also spark intense opposition by those who object to the policy goals or the particular means to achieve those goals. These is no guarantee that policies will work or have the impact for which policy makers and the public hope; even if they do, some other interest group or segment of the population might find their effects unacceptable. Public policy is defined as what governments and citizens choose to do or not to do about public problems, such choices are made at every level of government through the kind of policy making process. Because the means to achieve them, a natural part of it, is the disagreement in every policy area. Policy making involves choices about social values as well as calculations about policy design.

       Making public policies more effective, efficient and equitable raises once again the subject of policy analysis and its role in policy making. Analyst acknowledge  the political character of the policy making process, but they also believe that objective knowledge can reveal the nature of problems and their causes and help guide the search for public policies that promise a measure of success. Efficiency is probably the criterion most likely to receive attention in contemporary policymaking as policy alternatives and existing programs are assessed. The reasons are clear, government budgets are almost always under tight constrains and it is a rare politician or taxpayer who favor tax increases, so policymakers want to ensure a good return on the money spent.

      Policy analysis can also help improve the performance of government and its responsiveness to citizens’ concerns. In order to better policy analysis, we have to encourage public participation. Public participation in the pubic process can go well beyond voting, writing letters or e-mail messages to policy makers, and discussing policy issues. The opportunities to become involved in policy making are even greater at the state and local levels. In addition to inviting people to public meetings and hearings and asking the public to summit comments on proposed government’s actions, policy makers ask citizen to serve on advisory panels and assist them in making often difficult choices. Also, new technologies particularly those based in the internet, greatly facilitate access to a vast range of policy infraction.

Reference:

Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2010). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives, 6th ed. Washington, D.C: CQ

 

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