Public Policy

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Public Policy
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Public Policy

• A general plan of action adopted by government to
  solve a social problem, counter a threat, or
  pursue an objective.
• The process by which government decides what are
  human needs and problems and how to best solve
  them.
• The method by which government attempts to solve
  the problems of a nation.

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The Policymaking Process

• Agenda Setting
• A variety of factors affects agenda building
• events, crises, change in expert opinion,
  interest group agitation
• Change in public opinion
• Policy Formulation
• Policy Adoption
• Implementation
• Policy Evaluation

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Influences on Lawmakers Policy Preferences

• Ideology
• Colleagues
• Staff
• Party
• President
• Interest Groups
• Iron Triangles (key administrator, congressional
  subcommittee or committee chair, lobbyists from
  key client groups
• Issue Networks

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Domestic Policy

• Crime Prevention FBI, DEA, ATF
• Education Brown v. Board of Education, No Child
  Left Behind Act
• Energy
• The Environment EPA, Clear Air Act, Endangered
  Species Act
• Health Care CDC, VA, FDA, Affordable Care Act
• Social Welfare - welfare reformed under
  President Clinton

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Domestic Policy

• Social welfare expenditures have increased
  steadily in order to provide minimum standards
  for all citizens.
• Great Depression
• New Deal (FDR)
• New Frontier (Kennedy)
• Great Society (Johnson)
• Social Insurance (Social Security Act of 1935 and
  Medicare 1965) (FDR and Johnson)
• Public Assistance
• Affordable Care Act (Obama)

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Economic Policy

• Raising revenue (taxes) and spending
• Fiscal and Monetary Policy
• Chief Advisors to the President Secretary of
  the Treasury, Council of Economic Advisors,
  Director of the Office of Management Budget
• OMB Supervises/writes the budget which is
  submitted to Congress
• Congressional Budget Office
• Impact of Committees on Budget Appropriations
• Reaganomics

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Budget Issues

• Fiscal Cliff
• Entitlements
• Welfare
• Medicare
• Social Security
• Deficit/Debt
• Mandatory Spending v. Discretionary Spending

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Foreign Policy

• Foreign Policy involves the strategies and
  procedures dealing with other nations.
• The President and Foreign Policy
• Formal powers of the executive branch v. formal
  powers of the legislative branch
• The Department of State
• The Department of Defense
• The National Security Council
• The Central Intelligence Agency

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• Isolationism v. Globalism
• Cold War Politics
• Nixon Doctrine/Détente
• Carter Doctrine
• Reagan
• Bush
• Clinton
• Bush
• Obama
• Free trade, GATT, MFN, Globalization