Unit 2 Flashcards
define “public policy” and describe its relationship to politics.
a. An essential element to modern democracies in that they provide both guidance for government officials and accountability links to citizens.
b. Presumably a course of action that has been thought through in terms of the nature of the problem they are addressing and the circumstances they face.
c. A course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given problem or interrelated set of problems.
describe what constitutes public policy and how policy problems emerge and are identified.
a. Policy design therefore becomes a process of balancing different solutions that address different aspects of a cluster of problems
b. Every policy has three key elements. The first is the definition of the problem, the second is the goals that are to be achieved, and the third is the instruments or means whereby the problem is to be addressed and the goals achieved
i. Problem definition will be considered the central element of a policy statement. If there is no perceived problem, or a problem seems insoluble, one would hardly expect a public policy to solve it (though policies are sometimes framed as efforts to capitalize on an opportunity).
iv. The third key component of a public policy statement is some indica- tion of the nature of the policy instruments or means whereby the problem is to be addressed and the goals achieved.
explain the importance of policy analysis
a. The importance of this is simply that doing policy analysis—trying to make sense of a policy statement—involves a fair amount of detective work in tracking down both the policy statement and the supporting rationale in terms of problem definition.
c. The loop also suggests that there will be consistency between the different elements. A definition of a problem should “fit” somehow with the instruments and goals. Policy consistency is an important concept to appreciate, since it underpins both what we do as policy analysts and how we perceive public policies as citizens.
d. First, as noted above, we expect policies to have an internal consistency among the three elements of problem definition, goals, and instruments.
e. Second, we expect a policy to have vertical consistency in the sense that the programs and activities undertaken in its name are logically related to it. This is in part the nub of implementation. Policy statements are normally fairly abstract and general. They must be actualized through an implementation process that elaborates programs and activities to give the policy effect.
f. A third type of consistency is horizontal consistency, or consistency within the wider policy space and across policy fields, not just within them. This is an expectation that what governments do in one field will not contradict what they do in another.
h. The second implication, given that policy analysis should be disciplined and systematic, is that there will be both good and bad analysis.
Normative vs Logical vs Legal vs Empirical
i. Normative: Analyzes policies about basic values or ethical principles
j. Logical: analyzes policy in terms of internal, vertical, and horizontal consistency and whether it “makes sense”
k. Legal: analyzes policy in terms of jurisdiction and consistency with legislation or the Charter
l. Empirical: analyzes policy in relation to impacts and effects, costs, and administration
- discuss the attributes of public policy
a. Problem Definition
b. Instruments
c. Goals
- describe the differing views and approaches to health policy in Canada.
a. As Weller (1977) points out, there has been a steadily increasing politicization of health and there is a connection between the politics of health, health policy, prevailing perceptions of the health system, and actual changes in our health systems.
b. Health care as a system related to other subsystems. Supporters of this view propose using a systemic approach to analyze the system, to describe, and to categorize components of the health system.
c. Health care is an ailing system, poorly organized. Proponents of this view argue that the health care system has become very complex, has grown out of control, and is increasingly stratified by health professionals.
d. Health as a perverse system. Proponents see the system as being perverse in the sense that it is organized more to serve the interests of those who control it and not necessarily to further the health of the general population.
