midterm review Flashcards
what is public policy?
- conscious choices leading to action/inaction to address problems
- “anything the government chooses to do or not to do”
what does public policy provide?
a framework
what does public policy reflect?
the values of society
why is context important in public policy?
- you can’t define a problem unless you understand it
- context influences how policy is made
- context sets boundaries
what is the idealized policy process?
Problem Identification –> Policy formulation –> Policy adoption –> policy implementation –> policy evaluation –>
why do some subjects rise on the agenda while others are neglected?
- ideology of the governing party
- media attention/public perception
- complexity of the problem (wicked v. tame)
- political/social norms
- division of power
what is Kingdon’s framework on agenda setting?
the level of importance an item has on the agenda is due to 4 factors: indicators, focusing events, feedback and national mood
what is an indicator?
too big of an issue for the government to ignore
what is a focusing event?
an event that draws attention/changes perceptions on issues (ex. war, disaster, BLM, 9/11)
what is agenda setting?
the process by which problems receive attention from the government
what is problem definition?
how people think about problems and understand the scope of the issue
what is framing?
how policy issues and information are communicated to create shared understandings
what aspects must a successful frame have?
- effectively and clearly diagnose a problem
- identify solutions
- motivate action
what is evidence-based policy-making?
- recommendations are rooted in non-biased and well researched evidence
- decisions makers must trust and listen to evidence
- relevant information must be accessible and digestible to decision makers and analysts
what are the 3 steps of policy adoption?
- decision-making
- legitimization
- seeking consent and support
what is implementation?
putting a new policy into effect
what are internal variables of implementation?
- attitudes/beliefs of administrators
- collaboration issues (civil society, NGO’s, government deparments)
- implementation deficits
what are external variables of implementation?
- stakeholder response
- interactions in the “real world”
what is an implementation deficit?
a gap between the resources required to implement policy and the resources are actually available/supplied
what is the ultimate stage of the policy process?
evaluation
why is policy evaluation difficult?
- different standards/expectations among demographics, ideologies, political parties, etc
- time consuming
- difficult to know when to evaluate (short v. long term effects)
- bias/adjusted results
- how to confirm it is the new policy causing the impacts, not external factors
why do policies fail?
- incorrect problem definition
- lack of resources
- implementation failures
- lack of communication
- lack of cooperation at street-level bureaucracy
- incorrect foresight analysis
- attempt to address a wicked problem
- failure to effectively learn
what is public policy analysis?
making evidence-based recommendations to solve problems
what is the difference between policy studies v. policy analysis?
policy studies = the analysis of policy
v.
policy analysis = analysis for policy
what are the core elements of policy analysis?
- part of policymaking
- generates information to support decisions
- critically asses and communicate useful information
- comparison of alternative options
- multidisciplinary and may be co-produced
- should show that some solutions are superior
- fosters rational discourse
what is rationalism?
policy should be logical and based on evidence rather than emotional/religious beliefs
what is the rational model of policy analysis?
Define problem –> identify options –> specify objectives –> evaluation criteria –> outcomes and trade-offs –> recommendation
what is Bardach’s eightfold path to policy analysis?
Define the problem –> assemble evidence –> construct alternatives –> select the criteria –> project the outcomes –> confront the trade-offs –> stop, focus, narrow, deepen, decide –> tell your story
what is required to conduct policy analyses?
- understanding of the problem/its context
- access to experts and research/data
what is policy analytical capacity?
the ability of individuals in relevant positions to produce valuable research/analysis on topics
what do policy analysts do?
- research and analysis
- design and recommend
- clarify values and arguments
- advise strategically
- democratize: pursue the ethical objective
- mediate: fostering cooperation
what are essential skills for a policy analyst?
- research (quantitative/qualitative data)
- cost-benefit analysis
- economics
- digital skills
- project/time management
how is policy analysis an evolving skillset?
- identify/map stakeholders
- manage policy networks
- incorporate multiple/conflicting perspectives
- ethical/futures/implementation/political feasibility/legal analysis
- negotiation
what is gender-based analysis plus?
an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups may experience policies/programs
what are critical issues of the policy analysis practice?
- political/ethical impacts
- difficult to speak truth to power
- balancing realism with ideal solutions
- time constraints
- effective collaboration
- analysts rarely see the impact of their work
what is the policy analytical gap?
- policy analytical capacity found in many governments and NGOs is low
- common use of consultants
- capacity lagging behind complexity of issues
how can we decolonize policy analysis?
- understand historical context
- recognize and address power dynamics
- cultural competence training
- build long-term relationships
- partner and co-develop
- prioritize diverse voices
- encourage critical self-reflection
what other theories try to explain how policy is created?
- garbage can model
- multiple streams theory
- advocacy coalition framework
- design thinking
what is design thinking?
- policy making is a non-linear process
- each step is used to improve others
what is incrementalism?
- the process of policy making through a succession of incremental changes
- build on past policies
- comparison of small number of alternatives
- focus on how consequences of alternatives differ from the status-quo
what is a public problem?
- a discrepancy between what is and what should be
- unrealized needs, values and opportunities for improvement
what are tame problems?
- well defined and stable
- definite stopping point
- problem solvers will converge toward one correct solution
what are wicked problems?
- connected to/symptom of other problems
- knowledge/understanding of the problem is incomplete
- socially complex
- often require behavioural changes
- not right or wrong solutions, but better or worse
- interventions will influence related problems/lead to new issues
what is the goal of problem definition?
to serve as an anchor for analysis
what makes a good problem statement?
- concise and digestible
- avoid jargon/wordiness
- avoid easy causation
- don’t accept client’s definition
- don’t define too broadly/narrowly
- don’t be vague/prescriptive
what is the goal if identifying alternative policy options
to develop a portfolio of options that would address problems in distinctive ways
what are standard modes of government intervention?
- taxation
- grants and subsidies
- criminalization/decriminalization
- regulation
- education and information
- bureaucratic and political reform
what are nudges?
- a way of steering people in decisions/actions that would benefit them if they had given the matter considered deliberate thought instead of automatic reasoning
- changing the way choices are presented
- usually aimed at individual level
