Problem definition and agenda setting Flashcards
What does defining a problem do?
Identifies harm and assigns blame to those causing them
What policy area is an example of media framing?
Immigration
Are problems socially constructed?
Yes
Why would politicians respond to problems that are socially constructed?
To get re-elected and even socially constructed problems can cause a public loss (socially or economically)
Which issues do some politicians refuse to see as problems?
Climate change and poverty
What does framing involve?
‘the selective use of knowledge and information about a problem and the causal relationships surrounding it’
Who are the ‘expanders’?
People who seek to publicise an issue
Who are the ‘containers’?
People who may be adversely affected if the issue enters the state agenda
What does causality mean in this context?
Which factors or actors have caused the problem
What does severity mean in this context?
How serious an issue and its consequences are perceived to be
What is a crises in this context?
Labelling a problem as a crisis
What does proximity mean in this context?
The issue is directly or indirectly affecting the interests of a broad public
What does incidence mean in this context?
Prevalence of the problem
What is novelty in problem definition?
Labelling an issue as new or unprecedented.
What is a problem population?
How the image of the target group is manipulated by contending actors
What is an agenda?
‘the list of subjects or problems to which government officials, and people outside of government closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attention to at any given time’
What is a systemic (public) agenda?
public is aware and may be discussing
What is an institutional or government agenda?
Where the policymakers are giving active and serious consideration to a policy problem
What is the outside-initiative model?
actors outside the government initiate an issue for reform and seek to expand it into the public domain via media coverage, public lobbying of politicians or other actions
What is the mobilisation model?
institutions or political leaders seek to move an issue from public to the govt agenda.
What is the issue-attention cycle?
public perception reflects an increasing interest and then gradually boredom with issues
What is the garbage can model?
policy problems and solutions exist independently of each other
