Theories of Policy analysis

Question 1

Supranational institution?

Answer 1

A supranational institution delegates sovereignty and may adopt rules that are more important and directly affects member states

Question 2

Intergovernmental institution?

Answer 2

No delegated sovereignty and thereby dependent on voluntary compliance by member states

Question 3

Supranational institution - consequences for policymaking?

Answer 3

Can limit national actors freedom and options to a large extent

Question 4

Intergovernmental institution - consequences for policy making

Answer 4

Can limit national actors freedom and options to some extent

Question 5

What are the 5 key public actors?

Answer 5

Executive
Legislature 
Courts 
Bureaucracy 
Political parties

Question 6

What are the four key private actors

Answer 6

Interest groups (public + private)
Experts
Social groups

Question 7

What are the six cleavages in the Cleavage approach?

Answer 7

1. Centre - Periphery
2. State - Church
3. Rural - Urban
4. Workers - Employers
5. Materialists – Postmaterialist
6. Open - Closed societies

Question 8

How are Institutions defined?

Answer 8

A set of formal rules that determine the extent to which the actors’ preferences are translated into policies.

Question 9

How are actors defined?

Answer 9

Individuals, corporations, or other collective entities, who possess policy preferences and the desire to realize them through their participation in the policy-making process.

Question 10

What is the consequence of the constitution for policymaking?

Answer 10

Limit the set of options available to the legislator and government (anticipated) as it can be used to repel or change laws.

Question 11

What is the consequence of the horizontal and vertical division of power for policymaking?

Answer 11

The speed of change and the number of options available.

Question 12

What is the consequence of the electoral system for policymaking?

Answer 12

The speed of change and the number of options available.

Question 13

What is the consequence of Executive for policymaking?

Answer 13

Legislative homogeneity and scope.

Question 14

What is the consequence of Legislature for policymaking?

Answer 14

Level of conflict and speed of change

Question 15

What is the consequence of courts for policymaking?

Answer 15

Legislative scope

Question 16

What is the consequence of bureaucracy for policymaking?

Answer 16

Legislative homogeneity and scope

Question 17

What is the consequence of political parties for policymaking?

Answer 17

Legislative homogeneity and scope

Question 18

What is the consequence of private interest groups for policymaking?

Answer 18

Inside and/or outside lobbyism.

Degree of recognition and resources

Question 19

What is the consequence of public interest groups for policymaking?

Answer 19

Inside and/or outside lobbyism. Degree of recognition and resources

Question 20

What is the consequence of social groups for policymaking?

Answer 20

Inside and/or outside lobbyism. Degree of recognition and resources

Question 21

What is the consequence of experts for policymaking?

Answer 21

Delivery of information

Question 22

What is the difference between public and private interest groups?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

What defines a social group?

Answer 23

Group of people with a collective identity with collective action options.

Question 24

What defines an expert?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

What are the basic assumptions in the cleavage approach (macro-level)?

Answer 25

Certain enduring socioeconomic problems exist in societies that affect policy choices by means of creating lasting divisions between social groups (i.e. social cleavages).

Question 26

What is the main argument of the cleavage approach?

Answer 26

That variation in the importance of cleavages explains variation in the policy.

Question 27

What are the ideas of Varieties of Capitalism (macro-level)?

Answer 27

• 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).

Question 28

What is the basic assumption in Classical Institutionalism (meso-level)?

Answer 28

Formal rules in a political system are the independent variables and the functions of the state including policy formation the dependent.

Question 29

What is the basic assumption in Sociological Institutionalism (meso-level)?

Answer 29

• 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.

Question 30

What is the main assumption in Historical Institutionalism (meso-level)?

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

What is the idea of discursive institutionalism (meso-level)?

Answer 31

• 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).

Question 32

What are the basic assumptions of Rationality (micro-level)?

Answer 32

• Assuming full rationality, the actors choose solutions that optimize their utility given their preferences.
• Assuming bounded rationality, the actors choose a satisfactory solution.

Question 33

What is the idea of strategic choice (micro-level)?

Answer 33

• 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.

Question 34

What is the basic assumption of Rational Choice Institutionalism (Micro-level)?

Answer 34

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.

Question 35

What is the idea of Rational Choice Institutionalism?

Answer 35

• 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.