Theories of Policy analysis Flashcards
Supranational institution?
A supranational institution delegates sovereignty and may adopt rules that are more important and directly affects member states
Intergovernmental institution?
No delegated sovereignty and thereby dependent on voluntary compliance by member states
Supranational institution - consequences for policymaking?
Can limit national actors freedom and options to a large extent
Intergovernmental institution - consequences for policy making
Can limit national actors freedom and options to some extent
What are the 5 key public actors?
Executive Legislature Courts Bureaucracy Political parties
What are the four key private actors
Interest groups (public + private)
Experts
Social groups
What are the six cleavages in the Cleavage approach?
- Centre - Periphery
- State - Church
- Rural - Urban
- Workers - Employers
- Materialists – Postmaterialist
- Open - Closed societies
How are Institutions defined?
A set of formal rules that determine the extent to which the actors’ preferences are translated into policies.
How are actors defined?
Individuals, corporations, or other collective entities, who possess policy preferences and the desire to realize them through their participation in the policy-making process.
What is the consequence of the constitution for policymaking?
Limit the set of options available to the legislator and government (anticipated) as it can be used to repel or change laws.
What is the consequence of the horizontal and vertical division of power for policymaking?
The speed of change and the number of options available.
What is the consequence of the electoral system for policymaking?
The speed of change and the number of options available.
What is the consequence of Executive for policymaking?
Legislative homogeneity and scope.
What is the consequence of Legislature for policymaking?
Level of conflict and speed of change
What is the consequence of courts for policymaking?
Legislative scope
What is the consequence of bureaucracy for policymaking?
Legislative homogeneity and scope
What is the consequence of political parties for policymaking?
Legislative homogeneity and scope
What is the consequence of private interest groups for policymaking?
Inside and/or outside lobbyism.
Degree of recognition and resources
What is the consequence of public interest groups for policymaking?
Inside and/or outside lobbyism. Degree of recognition and resources
What is the consequence of social groups for policymaking?
Inside and/or outside lobbyism. Degree of recognition and resources
What is the consequence of experts for policymaking?
Delivery of information
What is the difference between public and private interest groups?
- The public interest groups try to influence policymaking in a given area
- Private also try to influence, but according to the interests of their members – specific
What defines a social group?
Group of people with a collective identity with collective action options.
What defines an expert?
Individuals or groups influencing policy-making based on special knowledge (often, but not always recognized specialists on the area), but with no specific goal in mind.
What are the basic assumptions in the cleavage approach (macro-level)?
Certain enduring socioeconomic problems exist in societies that affect policy choices by means of creating lasting divisions between social groups (i.e. social cleavages).
What is the main argument of the cleavage approach?
That variation in the importance of cleavages explains variation in the policy.
What are the ideas of Varieties of Capitalism (macro-level)?
- Economic processes influence policymaking.
- Capitalist systems vary regarding the coordination of public and private actors.
- The original distinction between coordinated and liberal market economies (CMEs vs. LMEs) is represented by Germany and the US.
- More types have been added including the Mixed and Central European (MME and CEME).
What is the basic assumption in Classical Institutionalism (meso-level)?
Formal rules in a political system are the independent variables and the functions of the state including policy formation the dependent.
What is the basic assumption in Sociological Institutionalism (meso-level)?
- Institutions are broadly understood as formal and informal rules that are structured for actors’ perceptions and preferences and thereby for public policies.
- Individuals make their choices according to what they view as socially valuable.
What is the main assumption in Historical Institutionalism (meso-level)?
Policy change is structured by past choices and will rarely be radical (critical juncture) but often incremental (path dependence). Over time, incremental change may be extensive.
What is the idea of discursive institutionalism (meso-level)?
- Institutional change is explained by the importance of ideas and discourses in policymaking.
- Institutional change is an endogenous process in which ideas are power:
o Power through ideas (the capacity of actors to persuade other actors to accept their views).
o Power over ideas (the imposition of ideas on actors).
o Power in ideas (the establishment of institutions imposing constraints on what ideas can be considered).
What are the basic assumptions of Rationality (micro-level)?
- Assuming full rationality, the actors choose solutions that optimize their utility given their preferences.
- Assuming bounded rationality, the actors choose a satisfactory solution.
What is the idea of strategic choice (micro-level)?
- An abstract approach to analyze decision-making processes where more than one player participates.
- Strategy determines action given the other actors’ strategies. Here information is important.
- The prisoners’ dilemma is a classic example of a game of incomplete information.
- Tit-for-tat is the best strategy
- According to game theory, it is not only the actors’ preferences that determine the choice of policy, but also how they interact, which is determined by the structure of the game.
What is the basic assumption of Rational Choice Institutionalism (Micro-level)?
The players follow a logic of consequentialism, where they given the institutional incentives select a policy that is as close to their preference as possible.
What is the idea of Rational Choice Institutionalism?
- Preferences are not influenced by institutions or socially constructed.
- Veto points and veto players have provided basic insights into policy-making processes.
- A veto player’s acceptance is necessary to change a policy (status quo). The more veto players and the more divergent preferences, the more difficult it will be to change the status quo.
