Public Policy Analysis

by Bickers, Kenneth N.; Williams, John T.

• ISBN13: 9780395852637
• ISBN10: 0395852633
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-10-17
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

This text gives students a framework for analyzing public policy choices. The unique "political economy" approach focuses on the institutions and market processes that contribute to the solving of public problems.

Table of Contents

Preface	x
I. Introduction	1	(14)
A Political Economy Approach to Public Policy Analysis	3	(12)
Introduction	3	(2)
Political Economy Approach	5	(5)
Key Assumptions	5	(4)
Individual Preferences Versus Collective Outcomes	9	(1)
Major League Sports Example	10	(3)
Conclusion	13	(2)
II. Democracy and Governance	15	(44)
Democratic Governance And Public Policy	17	(18)
Introduction	17	(2)
Democratic Theory: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls	19	(3)
Delimiting the Public	22	(2)
What Is Government?	24	(6)
Organization	24	(2)
Legitimacy	26	(3)
Coercion	29	(1)
Democratic Governance	30	(2)
Conclusion	32	(3)
Forms of Democracy and Implications for Public Policy	35	(24)
Introduction	35	(1)
Direct Democracy	36	(2)
Arrow's Possibility Theorem	38	(3)
Implications of Arrow's Theorem	39	(1)
Implications for Politics of Arrow's Theorem: Riker's Strategic Politician	40	(1)
The Role of Institutions	41	(2)
Representative Democracy	43	(6)
Principals and Agents	49	(3)
Permanent Minorities	52	(3)
Conclusion	55	(4)
III. Collective Action and Democratic Governance	59	(80)
The Problem of Collective Action	61	(18)
Introduction	61	(1)
Individual Foundations of Collective Action	62	(2)
The Logic of Collective Action	64	(4)
Generic Solutions to Collective Action Problems	68	(7)
Repeated Interaction Among Individuals	68	(3)
Voluntary Cooperation Versus Coercion	71	(4)
Institutions for Solving Collective Action Problems	75	(2)
Conclusion	77	(2)
Government and Collective Action Problems	79	(19)
Introduction	79	(1)
Government and the Collective Action Problem	79	(5)
Government Structure: What Are the Alternatives?	84	(12)
The Leviathan State	84	(2)
Federalism	86	(5)
Self-governance	91	(2)
Polycentrism	93	(3)
Conclusion	96	(2)
The Market as a Collective Action Mechanism	98	(20)
Introduction	98	(1)
Market Institutions	98	(4)
Hobbes and Property Rights	102	(2)
Smith and Property Rights	104	(2)
The Breadth and Complexity of Property Rights	106	(10)
Common Law	108	(1)
Right to Trespass	109	(2)
Contracts	111	(1)
Intellectural Property Rights	112	(1)
Securities	113	(1)
Taxes	113	(1)
Land Use Regulation	114	(2)
War	116	(1)
Conclusion	116	(2)
Limitations of The Market	118	(21)
Introduction	118	(1)
A Typology of Market Failures: The Nature of the Good	119	(2)
The Physical Nature of Goods	121	(2)
Monopolies and Oligopolies: When Markets are Not Competitive	123	(4)
Incomplete Information and Transactions Costs	127	(5)
The Problem of Insurance	131	(1)
Transactions Costs	131	(1)
Unacceptability of Individual Preferences	132	(3)
Useful Versus Inappropriate Discrimination	135	(1)
Conclusion	136	(3)
IV. Public Policy in the United States	139	(100)
Policy Analysis in the American Political Context	141	(24)
Introduction	141	(1)
The Ascendancy of the National Government	142	(4)
Policy Implementation in a Top-Down Federal System	146	(3)
Policy Instruments in a Top-Down Federal System	149	(5)
Growth of Polycentricity	154	(4)
Top-Down Versus Bottom-Up Approaches to Problem Solving	158	(4)
Capacity to Cope with Crises	158	(1)
Equity Concerns	159	(2)
Policy Efficiency	161	(1)
Conclusion	162	(3)
Politics and Policy Choice	165	(18)
Introduction	165	(1)
Policy Benefits and Costs: The Lowi Typology	166	(4)
Government Coercion	170	(3)
Political Advocacy and Policy Choice	173	(1)
Typology of Policies Based on Coerciveness	174	(7)
Conclusion	181	(2)
Bureaucracy	183	(19)
Introduction	183	(1)
Bureaucracy: A Mental Exercise	184	(1)
Why Is Bureaucracy a HallMark of Modern Societies?	185	(2)
The Tasks of Bureaucracy	187	(1)
Public Bureaucracies	188	(10)
Delegation	190	(4)
Rent Seeking	194	(2)
Policy Subsystems	196	(2)
Conclusion	198	(4)
Analyzing Proposed Policies	202	(18)
Introduction	202	(1)
Ex Ante Analysis	203	(1)
Cost-Benefit Analysis	204	(10)
Problem and Objective Identification	204	(1)
What are the Potential Solutions?	205	(1)
Data Collection and Analysis	205	(1)
Estimation of Costs and Benefits	206	(6)
Decision Criteria	212	(2)
Policy Recommendation	214	(1)
Politics and Cost-Benefit Analysis	214	(4)
Conclusion	218	(2)
Evaluating Existing Policies	220	(19)
Introduction	220	(1)
Summative Versus Formative Studies	220	(2)
Analysis of Subobjectives	222	(1)
Types of Policy Impact Studies	223	(7)
Policy Experiments	224	(4)
Quasi-experiments	228	(2)
``Sideways'' Analysis	230	(4)
Conclusion	234	(5)
V. Conclusion	239	(8)
Reform of Public Policy	241	(6)
Introduction	241	(1)
Critical Institutions	242	(4)
Characteristics of the Policy Good	243	(1)
Bottom-Up Versus Top-Down Approaches	244	(1)
Market Incentives	244	(1)
Government Coercion	245	(1)
Bureaucratic Failure	245	(1)
Conclusion	246	(1)
Index	247