A/ PUBLIC POLICYMAKING IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY A GUIDE TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT LARRY N. GERSTON. ^M.E.Sharpe. Armonk, New York London, England

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1 A/ PUBLIC POLICYMAKING IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY A GUIDE TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT S E C O N D E D I T I O N LARRY N. GERSTON F O R E W O R D BY T H O M A S E H R L I C H ^M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments 1. The Public Policymaking Process and How It Relates to Our lives The Public Policymaking Framework What Public Policy Is and Is Not Defining Public Issues Defining Private Issues Public/Private Issues in Perspective Constitutionalism: The Architecture of Public Policymaking Separation of Powers Federalism Judicial Review Chartered Rights Where Public Policies Are Made: Vertical Relationships Public Policymaking at the National Level Public Policymaking at the State Level Public Policymaking at the Local Level Does Citizenship Matter? What Does Citizenship Mean? The Rights-Bearing Model of Citizenship The Citizen as Community Loyalist Citizenship as Public Work Practicing Citizenship Through Public Policy Analysis and Advocacy Putting It Together Case Study: Immigration Reform xiii XV xix

3 2. Identifying Public Policy Issues Triggering Mechanisms: Indicators for Determining Issues Scope: How Widespread a Problem Intensity: How Troublesome a Problem Duration: How Long a Problem Resources: Costliness of the Problem But What If My Issue Is Kept Off the Public Agenda? Deciding What Is Important How and Why Doing Research Library Work Doing It the Old-Fashioned Way Going "Online" Newspaper Tracking Government and Community Organisations Personal Interviews Polls and Public Opinion Surveys Considering What to Do Knowing Where to Go, Whom to See, and How to Get There Determining What Should Be Done The Consequences of Inaction Case Study: Community Development Project DiscQssion Questions 3. Developing a Public Policy Proposal: Inventing the Better Iightbulb Connecting Issues with Public Policymakers Learning What Can Be Done by Whom Starting at the Bottom of the Ladder Clarifying Objectives Other Students Class Instructor Family, Friends, and Acquaintances Outside Parties

4 Inventing die Better Iightbulb Asking the Tough Questions Tobacco Regulation as an Example A Checklist for Policy Analysis Doing a Reality Check Scheduled Meetings with Your Instructor Seeking an Expert in the Field Working with Your Peers To Influence or Not to Influence That Is the Question Journal Writing Case Study: Campus Security Taking Action in the Political World: How to Advocate a Public Policy Surveying the Policymaking Landscape Public Officials Mass Media The World Wide Web Interest Groups Political Parties Bureaucracy Citizens as Individuals and in Small Groups Agenda Building in Perspective Preparing a Plan of Action Carefully, and One Step at a Time Whether to Act Alone or in Concert with Others Determining Your Level of Involvement Preparing a List and Order of Activities Making the Most of Your Opportunity Timing Advance Warning Supplies Transportation Publicity Follow-up Public Policymaking as Complex Activities

5 Case Study: Campaigning for a Watershed Tax District 5. Implementation: Carrying Out Decisions and Making Them Stick The Art of Implementation Bureaucracies as Implementation Agents Requirements for Implementation Conditions for Discouraging Implementation Bureaucrats as Public Policymakers But What About...? Keeping Your Hand in the Implementation Mix Determining Whether the Policy Is Clear Comparing Intentions with Outcomes Case Study: Implementing a New Policy on Racial Profiling 6. Evaluation: Does the Policy Make Sense? Who Evaluates, and Why? Evaluation in the Public Policymaking Environment Evaluators Evaluation as a Tool of Civic Engagement Evaluation: Not as Easy as It Looks Comparing Outcomes with Intentions: Two Approaches Quantitative Measurement Qualitative Judgment One Form of Evaluation Every Policymaker Wishes to Avoid Some Final Tips Conclusions Case Study: Charter Schools

6 7. Participation, Politics, and Policymaking: Putting It Together 159 Some of What You May Have Learned 159 The Most Important Evaluation of All 161 Questions About Yourself 162 Questions About You as a Citizen 162 Questions About You and the Community 163 And Some Last Questions 164 Some Final Thoughts (from the Soapbox) 164 Handling Disappointment and Frustration 165 Understanding the Opportunities and Limits of the System 166 Skepticism, Yes; Cynicism, No 167 Why Civic Obligation? Appendix A: Glossary 173 Appendix B: Project Citizen A Brief Introduction 179 Appendix C: Recommended Readings 189 Appendix D: Recommended Web Sites as Research Source Materials 193 Index 203 About the Author 219

Analyzing American Democracy

SUB Hamburg Analyzing American Democracy Politics and Political Science Jon R. Bond Texas A&M University Kevin B. Smith University of Nebraska-Lincoln O Routledge Taylor & Francis Group NEW YORK AND LONDON