Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives

✍ Scribed by Michael E. Kraft, Scott R. Furlong

• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 1066
• Edition: 7
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

"Kraft and Furlong provide students with a conceptual understanding of public issues and how the public policy process functions. This book also provides a forum for discussions of social, economic, and sustainable development issues; their characteristics; and impacts on human beings (citizens) as well as the environment. It will give students the needed tools to make informed economic and human development decisions that could lead to sustainable growth, human capacity building, and better lives." —Robert Dibie, Indiana University Kokomo With the right information, we can develop public policies that work better. All too often, public policy textbooks offer a basic grounding in the policy process without the benefit of integrating the use of policy analysis. Kraft and Furlong take a different tack. Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives, Seventh Edition helps students understand how and why policy analysis is used to assess policy alternatives. The text encourages them to not only question the assumptions of policy analysts, but also recognize how these strategies are used in the support of political arguments. The authors introduce and fully integrate an evaluative approach to policy to encourage critical and creative thinking on issues ranging from health care to climate change. From a concise review of institutions, policy actors, and major theoretical models to a discussion of the nature of policy analysis and its practice, Kraft and Furlong show students how to employ evaluative criteria in six substantive policy areas. Students come away with the analytic tools they need to understand that the motivations of policy actors—both within and outside of government—influence a complex yet comprehensible policy agenda. A Complete Teaching & Learning Package LMS Cartridge (formally known as SAGE Coursepacks) Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

✦ Table of Contents

Boxes, Figures, and Tables
Preface
About the Authors
Part I: The Study of Public Policy
1 | Public Policy and Politics
What Is Public Policy?
Defining Basic Concepts
Government
Politics
Policy Analysis
Why Study Public Policy?
Citizens’ Ability to Participate and Make Choices
Citizens’ Ability to Influence Policy Decisions
The Contexts of Public Policy
Social Context
Economic Context
Political Context
Governing Context
Cultural Context
The Reasons for Government Involvement
Political Reasons
Moral or Ethical Reasons
Economics and Market Failures
The Practice of Policy Analysis
The Many Uses of Policy Analysis
Citizens’ Use of Policy Analysis
How to Decide Which Policy Is Best: Using Multiple Criteria
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
2 | Government Institutions and Policy Actors
Growth of Government
Government Institutions and Policy Capacity
Federalism
The Evolution of Federal-State Relations
State Variation in Policy Capacity
Separation of Powers
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Informal Policy Actors and Policy Capacity
Public Opinion and Policymaking
Interest Groups, Nonprofits, and Public Policy
Media
Policy Subgovernments and Issue Networks
Improving Policy Capacity
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
3 | Understanding Public Policymaking
Theories of Politics and Public Policy
Elite Theory
Group Theory
Institutional Theory
Rational Choice Theory
Political Systems Theory
The Policy Process Model
Problem Definition and Agenda Setting
Policy Formulation
Policy Legitimation
Policy Implementation
Policy Evaluation
Policy Change
Instruments of Public Policy
Regulation
Government Management
Taxing and Spending
Market Mechanisms
Education, Information, and Persuasion
Policy Typologies
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
Part II: Analyzing Public Policy
4 | Policy Analysis: An Introduction
The Nature of Policy Analysis
Steps in the Policy Analysis Process
Define and Analyze the Problem
Construct Policy Alternatives
Choose Evaluative Criteria
Assess the Alternatives
Draw Conclusions
Types of Policy Analysis
Scientific Approaches
Professional Approaches
Political Approaches
What Kind of Analysis Is Needed?
Deal with Root Causes or Make Pragmatic Adjustments?
Comprehensive Analysis or Short-Term Policy Relevance?
Consensual or Contentious Analysis?
Reliance on Rational Analysis or Democratic Politics?
Other Aspects of Policy Analysis
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Leading General Journals of Public Policy
Major Professional Newsweeklies with Policy Coverage
Notes
5 | Public Problems and Policy Alternatives
Problem Analysis
The Nature of the Problem
Thinking about Causes and Solutions
How to Find Information
Constructing Alternatives
What Governments Can Do
Policy Typologies as Analytic Tools
Thinking Creatively about Policy Action
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
6 | Assessing Policy Alternatives
Evaluative Criteria for Judging Policy Proposals
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Equity
Ethics and Political Values
Using the Methods of Policy Analysis
Economic Approaches
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Risk Assessment
Decision Making and Impacts
Forecasting
Impact Assessment
Political and Institutional Approaches
Political Feasibility Analysis
Implementation Analysis and Program Evaluation
Ethical Analysis
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
Part III: Issues and Controversies in Public Policy
7 | Economic and Budgetary Policy
Background
Goals of Economic Policy
Economic Growth
Low Levels of Unemployment
Low Levels of Inflation
Positive Balance of Trade
Managing Deficits and Debt
Interrelationships of Economic Goals
Tools of Economic Policy
Fiscal Policy
Monetary Policy
Regulation
Incentives, Subsidies, and Support
Tax Policy
The Budget Process and Its Effect on Economic Policy
Assumptions and Planning
Agency Budget Development
OMB Budget Review
Congressional Review
Budget Execution and Control
Economic Policy: Successes and Failures
Significant Income Tax Cuts
Responses to the Deficit
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Economic Issues and Challenges
Maintaining Economic Growth
Growth of Entitlements
Income Inequality
Focused Discussion: Deficits and Debt
Economic Issues
Political Issues
Equity and Other Ethical Issues
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
8 | Health Care Policy
Background
Evolution of Health Care Policy
A Hybrid System of Public and Private Health Care
The Perils of Being Uninsured
Strengths and Weaknesses of the U.S. Health Care System
A Pluralistic Health Care System
Major Government Health Care Programs
Medicare
Medicaid
Veterans’ Health Care
Other Health Care Policy Issues
Portability
Patients’ Rights
Rising Health Care Costs
State Policy Innovations
Regulation of Prescription Drugs
Managed Care Organizations
Reducing Health Care Costs
Quality of Care
Medical Errors
Focused Discussion: Should There Be Greater Emphasis on Preventive Health Care?
Effectiveness
Economic Efficiency Issues
Equity and Other Ethical Issues
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
9 | Welfare and Social Security Policy
Background
Poverty
Social Security
Social Security’s Changing Demographics
Problems with Social Security
Financing Social Security
Welfare
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Aid to Families with Dependent Children
The Earned Income Tax Credit
Welfare Reform Options
Welfare Reform Law
Analysis of the Welfare Reform Law
Focused Discussion: Can We Do Better? Addressing Poverty
Economic and Effectiveness Issues
Political Issues
Ethics and Equity Issues
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
10 | Education Policy
Background
Problems Facing Education
Funding
Quality
Education Policy Reforms
Merit Pay
Teacher Standards, Certification, and Salaries
School Vouchers, School Choice, and Charter Schools
School Testing
Higher Education Issues
Affirmative Action
Costs of Higher Education
Focused Discussion: Higher Education Affordability, Cost, and Value
Economic Issues
Political Issues
Equity and Ethical Issues
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
11 | Environmental and Energy Policy
Background
The Evolution of Environmental and Energy Policy
Early Environmental and Energy Policies
The Modern Environmental Movement and Policy Developments
From Consensus to Conflict in Environmental Policy
Major Federal Environmental Policies
The National Environmental Policy Act
Environmental Protection Statutes and the EPA
Natural Resource Policies
Energy Policy
Focused Discussion: Climate Change and Energy Policy Alternatives
Effectiveness
Economic Issues
Political Feasibility
Ethical Issues
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
12 | Foreign Policy and Homeland Security
Background and Policy Evolution
The Marshall Plan, NATO, and the Cold War
The United Nations and Globalization
Military Buildup and Nuclear Weapons
The Intelligence Agencies and the War in Iraq
Economic and Military Assistance: Foreign Aid
Selected Issues in Homeland Security
Comparing Homeland Security Threats: How Vulnerable Are We?
The Case of Transportation Security
Focused Discussion: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism
Effectiveness and Efficiency
Legal and Ethical Concerns
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
Part IV: Conclusions
13 | Politics, Analysis, and Policy Choice
Policy Analysis, Citizen Participation, and Policy Change
Public Policies and Their Impacts
Policy Conflicts and Incremental Decision Making
Policy Strategies with No Crystal Ball
Policy Analysis and Policy Choices
Evaluating Public Policy
Improving Policy Capacity
Citizen Participation in Decision Making
Citizen Capacity and Policy Engagement
New Forms of Citizen Participation
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Keywords
Major Legislation
Suggested Readings
Suggested Websites
Notes
Glossary
References
Index