The Policy Context and the Policy Actors

Question 1

What is the political-economic context?

Answer 1

Capitalism, Liberalism, Democracy

Capitalism: marekt-oriented political economy, ownership of the means of production is in private hands
Liberalism: principles supporting capitalism (residual state vs. corrective state)
Democracy: freedom, choice, accountability

Question 2

What are the two main forms of capitalism (economies)?

Answer 2

Liberal market economies vs. coordinated market economies

liberal market economies (US, UK, etc.), which often is linked to pluralism
coordinated market economies (Ger, Fr. etc.) whic often is linked to corporatism

NOTE: Local Democracy table

Question 3

What is the socio-economic and institutional context?

Answer 3

social cohesion vs. social fragmentation
economic power concentration vs. economic power fragmentation
high state capacities vs. low state capacities
parliamentary vs. presidential political systems

Question 4

What are the different policy actors?

Answer 4

elected politicians
public
bureaucracy
political parties
interest groups and social movements
think-tanks and experts
mass media
internatinoal actors

Question 5

elected politicians (e.g., policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 5

e.g. government & parliament

POLICY CYCLE
government: policy formulation, policy implementation
parliament: policy adotpion

KEY RESOURCE
legitimacy

Question 6

Public (e.g., policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 6

e.g. public opinion makers, citizens, voters, party/interest groups

POLICY CYCLE
agenda-setting

KEY RESOURCE
support (electoral and non electoral)

Question 7

Bureaucracy (e.g., policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 7

e.g. appointed officials (whose power relies on..)

KEY RESOURCE
law, “historical” and factual knowledge, institutional and social relationships, expertise

POLICY CYCLE
policy formulation and policy implementation
occasionally: policy evaluation

Question 8

political parties (policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 8

gatekeepers, linking political authority to political community

POLICY CYCLE
agenda-setting (aggregate political preferences)
(indirectly) policy adoption

KEY RESOURCE
legitimacy (internal: members, external: voters)

Question 9

def. Interest/pressure groups and social movements (policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 9

IGs are more structured than SMOs
IGs and SMOs provide legitimation of the political system (articulate preferences)

POLICY CYCLE
USA: agenda-setting
Europe: policy formulation and policy implementation

KEY RESOURCE
electoral/non electoral participation (mobilization)

Question 10

def. Think Tanks and experts (e.g., policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 10

independent organizations engaged in multidisciplinary research intended to influence public policy (e.g. Bruegel)

POLICY CYCLE
agenda-setting
policy formulation

KEY RESOURCE
knowledge

Question 11

def. Mass Media (policy cycle, key resource)

Answer 11

media system which may report facts but also (quite often) try to influence by presenting facts in a specific way

POLICY CYCLE
agenda-setting and policy evaluation

KEY RESOURCE
information and diffusion

Question 12

What is the effect of international actors on the policy process

Answer 12

external settings may constrain domestic conext (e.g. EU Parliament, European Commission)

Institutional actors (e.g. WTO, UN)
International NGOs (Greenpeace, Amnesty International)

Question 13

What actors are involved in the agenda-setting phase?

Answer 13

Public
(in the US:) Interest Groups and Social Movements
Political parties
Think Tanks and experts
Mass media

Question 14

What actors are involved in the policy formulation phase?

Answer 14

Elected politician (Government)
Bureaucracy
Think Tanks and experts
(in Europe:) Interest groups and social movements

Question 15

What actors are involved in the policy adoption phase?

Answer 15

Elected politician (Parliament)
(indirectly) political parties

Question 16

What actors are involved in the policy implementation phase?

Answer 16

Elected politicians (Government)
Bureaucracy
(in Europe:) Interest Groups and social movements

Question 17

What actors are involved in the policy evaluation phase?

Answer 17

(occasionally) bureaucracy
Mass media

NOTE: on different slide added think tanks and experts, judges, voters, different actors correspond to different evaluation types)