Understanding, Informing, and Appraising Public Policy

by Gosling, James J.

• ISBN13: 9780321078452
• ISBN10: 0321078454
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-25
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Understanding, Informing and Appraising Public Policy in Americaintegrates theory and practice in the study of public policy as it helps students understand how and why policymakers make the choices that they do. The two-pronged approach utilizing the normative study of relationship of self#45;interest to the public interest and empirical theory to identify policymakers'behavior identifies the standards of judgment that citizens and policymakers use to define problems and evaluate alternative solutions, and how America's political culture influences how we think about these matters. Throughout the texts the students also looks at how the design of out policy-making institutions shape the politics of policy making in the United States.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Chapter 1. Enduring Political Questions and Public Policy	1	(22)
The Role of Government and Our Liberal Tradition	1	(3)
Rethinking the Public Interest and Government's Role	4	(3)
Ideal-Regarding Principles	7	(1)
American Ideology in Comparative Perspective	8	(3)
Testing Political Principles: Post-WWII Developments and America's Political Culture	11	(9)
The Great Society's Response	12	(2)
The Reagan Revolution	14	(1)
Clinton and the Emergence of the New Democrats	14	(4)
George W. Bush and Pragmatic Liberalism	18	(2)
Notes	20	(3)
Chapter 2. Fragmented Government and Policy Making	23	(15)
The Challenge Facing the Framers: Balancing National Strength and Individual Liberty	25	(6)
Limited Government	27	(1)
Division and Separation of Power and Fragmented Government	27	(2)
Non-Constitutional Contributions to Fragmented Government	29	(2)
Interest Group Pluralism and Fragmentation	31	(5)
Iron Triangles and Issue Networks	33	(3)
Notes	36	(2)
Chapter 3. Agenda Setting and the Policy Process	38	(14)
Conditions and Problem Definition	40	(4)
Agenda Denial	44	(1)
From Agenda Item to Action Item	44	(6)
The Role of Policy Entrepreneurs in Agenda Setting	46	(1)
The National Mood and Receptivity to Policy Change	47	(1)
Windows of Opportunity and Authoritative Governmental Action	48	(2)
Notes	50	(2)
Chapter 4. Comparing Federal and State Policy Making	52	(21)
The Distinctive Features of State Policy Making	54	(6)
Including Substantive Policy Initiatives in the Budget	54	(1)
The Use of Gubernatorial Item Veto	55	(1)
The Salience of State Aid to Local Governments	56	(1)
Term Limits	56	(3)
Direct Democracy and Policy Making	59	(1)
The Politics of Policy Making by Direct Initiative	60	(5)
Federal and State Core Policy Agendas Compared	65	(1)
The States as Policy Innovators	66	(5)
Notes	71	(2)
Chapter 5. Informing Public Policy Choice	73	(14)
Making Rational Policy Choices	74	(3)
Defining the Problem	75	(1)
Evaluating Alternatives	76	(1)
Recommending and Making Policy Choices	77	(1)
The Influence of Economics on Conceptions of Rational Decision Making	77	(1)
Shortcuts in Decision Making	78	(1)
Politics and Markets	79	(2)
Leaders and Experts	81	(5)
Policy Analysis in Government	81	(2)
Policy Analysis Outside Government	83	(3)
Notes	86	(1)
Chapter 6. Explaining Public Policy Choice	87	(15)
Prominent Positivist Theoretical Approaches	90	(1)
Conceptual Frameworks and Heuristic Devices	90	(3)
Pluralism	90	(1)
Systems Theory	91	(1)
The Stages Approach	92	(1)
Empirical Theories of the Policy Process	93	(4)
Rational Choice	93	(1)
Institutional Rational Choice	94	(1)
Advocacy Coalition	94	(1)
Punctuated Equilibrium	95	(2)
Politics as Symbolic Action, Not Science	97	(3)
Notes	100	(2)
Chapter 7. Implementing and Evaluating Public Policy	102	(19)
The Ingredients of Successful Implementation; A Reality Check	103	(5)
Clear and Consistent Objectives	104	(1)
A Sound Theory of Causal Linkages	104	(1)
Assignment to Sympathetic Agencies with Sufficient Resources and Legal Authority	105	(1)
Support Given by Constituency Groups	106	(1)
Public Support Continuing throughout the Process of Implementation	107	(1)
Government, Its Agents, and Implementation	108	(3)
Finding the True Size of Government	110	(1)
Sorting out Responsibility for Implementation	111	(2)
The Fragmented Nature of Implementation and Its Oversight	113	(3)
Implementation and Evaluation	116	(3)
Program Evaluation and Executive/Legislative Competition	118	(1)
Notes	119	(2)
Chapter 8. Informing and Shaping Contemporary Policy Choice	121	(23)
Major Policy Change	122	(7)
The Bush Tax Cut	122	(3)
"No Child Left Behind" Educational Reform	125	(4)
Flurry of Attention but No Major Policy Change	129	(5)
Clinton's 1993 Initiative for Comprehensive Health Care Reform	129	(2)
Social Security and the Lockbox	131	(3)
Issues Effectively Screened Out	134	(5)
Industrial Policy	134	(2)
Housing Policy	136	(1)
Incomes Policy	136	(3)
Putting the Pieces Together	139	(2)
Notes	141	(3)
Chapter 9. Appraising America's Public Policy Performance	144	(13)
Policy Conditions and Policy Choice	147	(1)
Health Policy	147	(1)
Energy and Environmental Policy	148	(2)
Educational Policy	150	(3)
Protective Policy	153	(2)
Notes	155	(2)
Index	157