KAY 392 PUBLIC POLICY SUMMARY SLIDES
WHAT IS PUBLIC POLICY? What governments choose to do or choose not to do. An analytical andcyclical problem solving and decision making process Multi disciplinary, multi method, problem focused and action oriented. Minimize or Maximizesomething Decrease what is too much, increase what is too little. Speaking truth to power In pluralist democracies, speaking truths to powers Policy sciences of democracy Lasswell
Public Policy Problems Public and private Public policy is about the solution of public problems. Types of Agendas Systemic Agenda Institutional Agenda
Actors in Public Policy List of Actors Government Levels: International, National, Regional, Local Powers: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary Private sector Same levels International organizations Non governmental organizations Communities Individuals in a market Other Actors: Political parties Legitimacy of Actors
Politics and Policy How much government we want or need in making decisions for us? Pendulum swings from more government to less government (more market) and the other way around. Market failure and government failure Alternatives to government and markets Etzioni and communitarianism De Tocqueville and the power of associations/ngos
Philosophical Approaches to Need for government Government For maintaining the law and order Thomas Hobbes Homo homini lupus Private sector preference Adam Smith The invisible hand of the market Civil society/associations Alexis De Tocqueville
Market Failures Need for Government Intervention Externalities Public Goods Monopolies Imperfect Information
Where did public policy come from? 1 Explanation 1: Since the emergence of organized societies After the division of labor regarding the rulers and the ruled, rulers needed advice. Knowledge is power. Advisors beginning from ancient China, Egypt and India Wazir: the ones who help carry the load Oral and written advice. No real data collecton and analysis Mostly experience based
Where did public policy come from? 2 Explanation 2: Late 1700s, Early 1800s French Revolution Enlightenment Industrial Revolution Migration to cities and urbanization How to solve the problems of urbanization? Crime, education, health, infrastructure Systematic data collection and simple data analysis
Where did public policy come from? 3 Explanation 3 DuringandAftertehsecond World War, in the US and its allies Systematic data collection and complicated data analysis Statistics, mathematical models, operations research Uses spread into the civilian domain after the War
How did public policy emerge? Explanation Data Collection Data Analysis Policy is Based On Explanation 1: Since the emergence of organized societies Explanation 2: Since the Industrial Revolution Explanation 3: During and After tehsecondworld War, in the US and its allies Almostnone Almostnone Mostly experience transmission Systematic data collection Systematic data collection No Complicated analysis Statistics, mathematical models, operations research Scientific analysis Scientific analysis
Public Policy in Turkey Windows of Opportunity (Akdoğan, 2011) 1924 Ministry of Education report 1950s to1965 Foreign social scientists empirical research efforts about Turkey 1961 Establishment of the State Planning Organization 1975 Formation of the Turkish Operations Research Society 2002 Law Number 5018 on Public Finance Administration and Control Act
Analysis of the Policy Process A. Analysis of Policy 1. Analysis of policy determination How policy is made; why,when & for whom? 2. Analysis of policy content How policy developed, from which frameworks? 3. Policy monitoring & evaluation Policy goals & impacts
Analysis of the Policy Process B. Analysis for Policy 4. Information for policy Detailed research & advice 5. Policy advocacy Research & arguments that affect policy agenda
STAGES IN PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS
Advantages of the Stages An artificial view of the policy making It reduces complexity to a more manageable form Provides us with tidy, neat steps that follow each other
Criticisms of the stagist model It does not provide any causal explanation of how policy moves from one stage to another It can not be tested on an empirical basis It is a top down approach, and fails to take account of all the actors It ignores multiple levels of government and interacting actors
Source: Davis, Influencing PP through Research
Public Opinion & Public Policy Observations on the character and importance of the public voice from ancient times: Vox populi, vox dei (Alcuin) Publica Voce (Machiavelli)
What is Public Opinion? Although it is an old concept, it is first defined in the 18th Century Britain as: An identifiable body of views held by a defined group to whose opinions government attached a standing and significance.
Public Opinion & Public Policy Which comes first? Public policy or public opinion? Policy agenda is set by the interplay of public opinion and public power. How is public opinion shaped by power? Shaping of public concerns, priorities and attitudes
Interplay between the Media and Agenda (Mayer) Which comes first? (Chicken egg?) Unidirectional Media influencing the public agenda Multidirectional The policy agenda of the government influencing media coverage and public opinion
Public Opinion & Public Policy In a democracy, public policy is a function of public opinion. Policy demand determines policy supply Public opinion is to the political market what consumer demand is to the economic market.
What is Public Opinion? In the Post Second World War Era, the introduction of techniques to make empirical, quasi scientific measurements of public opinion on issues... led to the analysis of the impact of opinion on the political agenda.
Agenda Setting (McCombs & Shaw) The media has a key role in agenda setting, that is, in the power to determine what topics are discussed. The more attention that is given to an issue, the more does the public regard it as being a high agenda item.
The Impact of Media Attention on the Public Agenda High Media attention on issues Low Issues considered less important by the public Source: Parsons, 1995: 113. Issues considered more important by the public
Factors Determining Response Policy makers response to new stories/media coverage is influenced by: The relationship of journalists to policy making elites and vice versa The timing of the publication Interest group pressures Costs and benefits of problems and solutions, etc.
2. Alarmed Discovery Euphoric Enthusiasm 3. Realizing costs of significant progress 1. Pre-problem stage Downs Issue Attention Cycle Source: Parsons, 1995: 115 4. Gradual decline of public interest 5. Post-problem stage Issues as having highs and lows, ons and offs...
Downs Issue Attention Cycle 1.Pre Problem Stage: Experts and policy makers may be aware of the problem, and knowledge may have been produced, but there is negligible public interest.
Downs Issue Attention Cycle 2. Alarmed Discovery and Euphoric (Joyful) Enthusiasm Stage: The issue is recognized as a problem, prompted by a disaster and event, which focuses concern and leads to demands for government action
Downs Issue Attention Cycle 3.Counting the Costs and Benefits Stage: Policy makers and the public become aware of what progress will cost. 4.Decline of public interest in issue 5.Post Problem Stage: The issue slips down the public agenda. New issues replace the environment in public opinion and policy agendas.
Systemic and Institutional Agenda (Cobb Systemic Agenda All issues commonly perceived by members of a political community as meriting public attention of public authorities Shared concern of a sizeable portion of the public & Elder) Institutional Agenda Explicitly up for active and serious consideration by decision makers May be an old item which is up for regular review or is of periodic concern; or it may be a new item.
Factors that Affect Transfer Degree of specificity ( ) The more ambiguous the issue, the easier it will be exposed to a larger population Scope of social significance (+) Temporal relevance (+) The higher the long term relevance, the easier it will be exposed to a larger population Degree of complexity ( ) The more non technical the issue, the easier it will be exposed to a larger population Categorical precedence ( ) The more an issue lacks a clear precedence, the easier it will be exposed to a larger population
Issue Triggers (Cobb & Elder) Internal Triggers Natural catastrophes Unanticipated human events Technological changes Imbalance or bias in the distribution of resources Ecological change External Triggers Act of war Innovations in weapons technology International conflict Patterns of world alignment
Policy Implementation Source: Parsons, 1995: 461-473.
Implementation: Definitions Studying implementation is studying change How does change occur? Study of the political system inside and outside the organization What motivates implementors?
Source: Davis, Influencing PP through Research
Implementation An important stage in the policy process Task of translating policy intentions into outcomes Involves participation by a number of stakeholders Reflects intention of governments to act
Examples of policy implementation Policy Electricity available to all citizens Cleaner water Possible implementation scenarios 1. Creation of a public enterprise (direct provision) 2. State regulation of private companies 1. Ban of using certain products (regulation) 2. Possibility to buy the right to pollute (market creation) Prevention of heart disease 1. Advertising in the media 2. More hours for physical activities in schools (standard setting)
Implementation: Definitions Policy making does not come to an end once a policy is set out or approved. Policy is being made as it is being administered and administered as it is being made. Black Box Model What is happening between input and output? Problems of implementation were rarely analyzed. Bureaucrats are not just neutral public servants
Michael Lipsky s street level bureaucracy model Lipsky s book entitled Street level Bureaucrats (1980) has been viewed as the leading challenge to the top down model of policy implementation models and the starting point of bottom up model.
Michael Lipsky s street level bureaucracy model Lipsky argue(s) that public policy is not best understood as made in legislatures or top floor suites of high ranking administrators, because in important ways it is actually made in the crowded offices and daily encounters in street level workers. And the street level bureaucrats, the routines they establish, and the devices they invent to cope with uncertainties and work pressures, effectively become the public policies they carry out. (Lipsky, 1993, p. 382)
Michael Lipsky s street level bureaucracy model Lipsky underlines that in implementing policy at street level, front line workers are confronted with conflict and ambiguities. These may include Inadequate resource and unsatisfactory working condition, e.g. large classes for teachers, huge caseloads for social workers, dangerous and hostile neighborhood for police officers. Unpredictable, uncooperative, skeptical clients Unclear and ambiguous job specification and guidelines.
Michael Lipsky s street level bureaucracy model Confronted with these inadequacies and uncertainties, street level bureaucrats derive coping strategies or even survival strategies to deal with the unaccommodating working situations. Lipsky point out that in daily client processing routines, street level bureaucrats in fact have considerable amount of powers and discretions at their disposal, which may lead to substantial deviations from, if not complete alterations of, official and top down policy specifications.
Implementation as a Political Game Conflict is not dysfunctional On the contrary, it is essential in acquiring and maintaining power Deal making is acceptable Bargaining and persuasion under conditions of uncertainty Actors are trying to win as much control as possible Groups and individuals seek to maximize their power and influence during implementation Self interested people playing games Bardach, The Implementation Game Book (1977) Blurring of boundaries between politics and bureaucracy
PUBLIC POLICY AND GLOBALIZATION Source: Bonser et al., 2000. Chapter 6
Globalization A process of integration and interdependence Old wine in new bottles? Merchants, crusades, explorers, colonialism? Wider embrace of democracy and free markets Changes in transportation and communication technologies Fragmentation of the production processes
CONQUESTS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 334 323 BC
Marco Polo s Travels, 1271 1297 Route of Marco Polo, Circa 1271-1297 CE
Globalization The next step after nation states? Regional trading blocks and alliances EU, NAFTA, Pacific Rim (ASEAN) Free Trade/ Easier flow of people and capital? Better quality with less prices? Increased competition and restructuring
From the European Economic Community to the European Union Joined Joined 1972 1972 Joined Denmark, Denmark, Ireland, Ireland, UK Joined 1995 1995 UK Austria, Austria, Finland, Finland, Sweden Sweden EEC EEC Core Core Group Group 1957 1957 Belgium, Belgium, France, France, Germany, Germany, Italy, Italy, Netherlands, Netherlands, Luxembourg Luxembourg Joining Joining 2004 2004 Cyprus, Cyprus, Czech Czech Rep., Rep., Estonia, Estonia, Hungary, Hungary, Poland, Poland, Slovenia, Slovenia, Malta, Malta, Latvia, Latvia, Lithuania, Lithuania, Slovakia Slovakia Joined Joined 1986 1986 Portugal, Portugal, Spain Spain Joined Joined 1981 1981 Greece Greece Joining Joining after after 2006 2006 Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Romania, Romania, Turkey Turkey
Global Institutions Economical: WB, IMF, WTO Political: International Court of Human Rights, etc. Social: Global brands: Similar consumption patterns?
How opening up new markets affects people's lives here and abroad? Critics charge that: Globalization only benefits corporations that relocate factories in countries with cheap labor and weak environmental laws Worsening working conditions abroad Polluting the environment Threatening American jobs Proponents say: Transformation of the manufacturing industry Free trade is the key to improving living and working conditions in developing countries Creating high paying jobs in the U.S. Protecting the global environment.
Global Issues Productive vs. Speculative Capital Global Financial Crisis Nation less multinational corporations Global warming International Criminal Court Controlling population growth Global Organized Crime and Terrorism One global language?
Global comparisons http://www.eurunion.org/profile/euusstats.h tm http://www.eurunion.org/profile/facts.htm