choosing policy instruments Flashcards
what are policy instruments?
set of techniques by which governmental authorities wield their power in attempting to ensure support and effect or prevent social change.
the means by which policy objectives are pursued
aka policy tools aka policy technique aka policy means
why is the choice of policy instrument important?
even when there is broad agreement over policy objectives, there are often disagreements about the means by which those objectives should be pursued.
“instruments for government action set up relationships between the state and its citizens.” - Government of Canada, 2007
discourse on public policy instruments is discourse on power.
what are examples of policy instruments?
laws
taxations
subsidies
vouchers (food stamps)
grants
labelling (menu, nutrition label)
list the parts of the typology for policy instruments
the stick
the carrot
the sermon
describe the stick of policy instruments
regulatory instruments that obligate people to act in accordance with what the government says
imposes the most constraint among policy instruments
a statute or regulation should be chosen only after the full range of possible instruments has been considered
government decides if you follow
e.g. prohibition: of human cloning –
prohibition with permissions: possessing cannabis with authorizing medical document
describe the carrot of policy instruments
economic instruments used as incentives or disincentives to guide individuals in the direction of the objectives of policy
“…the handing out or the taking away of material resources [where] the addressees are not obligated to take the measures involved.”
people can avoid constraints imposed by these instruments
markets and you decide if you follow
e.g. subsidies (conditional transfers of funds from governments to individuals, etc.), taxation, grants, vouchers
describe the sermon of policy instruments
“…attempts at influencing people through the transfer of knowledge, the communication of reasoned argument, and persuasion.”
no obligatory directives or provision of material resources
imposes the least strength out of the 3 policy instrument types
you decide if you follow
e.g. advertisements, product labelling
what is a nudge?
any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.
e.g. credit machine with set tip percentages
similar to sermon but not quite
what is the criteria for choosing the right policy instrument. describe it
effectiveness: the likelihood of the policy instrument achieving the policy objective(s) – includes feasibility, cost, timeline, etc.
legality: the degree to which the policy instrument adheres to relevant legal rules
legitimacy: the degree of support/acceptance a government has for its choices, based upon correspondence with public’s views, values, feelings, objectives
