Week 3 - Theories of Public Policy

Question 1

Micro policy

Answer 1

• Minor changes
• Increasing funding to community health centres
• Increasing housing subsidy amounts for tenants

Question 1

Meso policy

Answer 1

• Operation of mid-level institutions like advisory boards or government departments
• Creating a Telehealth line
• Changing eligibility requirements for social assistance

Question 2

Macro policy

Answer 2

• Broad issues like the general shape of political systems and how power is wielded
• Bigger scale
• Creation of national daycare program

Question 3

Pluralism

Answer 3

• Like consensus model
• Interest groups are the most important unit of analysis
• Still bias, some political groups only listen to certain interest groups

Question 4

2 Models of pluralism

Answer 4

• Eastons Model of the Political System
• Kingdons policy Stream Convergence

Question 5

Critiques of Pluralism

Answer 5

• Fails to consider role of political power of ideology
• Offers simplistic explanations

Question 6

New institutionalism

Answer 6

• Some pluralism but also includes the influence of institutions
• Explains and states that government structures develop overtime and persist
• Policy makers are constrained based on the institutions that currently exist

Question 7

Sub types of new institutionalism

Answer 7

• Historical institutionalism
• Rational choice institutionalism
• Sociological institutionalism

Question 8

Historical institutionalism

Answer 8

• Analysis of institutions over time
• How they have functioned/operated in the past and why

Question 9

Rational choice institutionalism

Answer 9

• Looks at economic policies etc

Question 10

Sociological institutionalism

Answer 10

• Looks at how culture and norms have influenced policy

Question 11

Critiques of new institutionalism

Answer 11

• Does not look at how policy develops or changes over time
• Institutions change so not best unit of analysis for explaining change

Question 12

Political economy approach

Answer 12

• Market approach
• Focus on economic, political and social structures
• Concerned with mode and production
• Feminist political economy

Question 13

Main tenets of neoliberalism

Answer 13

• Markets perceived as most efficient in production and distribution of resources
• Societies are comprised of autonomous individuals
• Competition is primary source of innovation
• Governments should be very small
• There should be few government regulations
• Goal of society should be economic growth