Review+Session+5-+Public+Policy

= AP US Government and Politics Review  = **Review Session #5 Review Public Policy** The ETS description of the AP curriculum says: Public policy is the result of interactions and dynamics among actors, interests, institutions, and processes. The formation of policy agendas, the enactment of public policies by Congress and the President, and the implementation and interpretation of policies by the bureaucracy and the courts are all stages in the policy process with which students should be familiar. Students should also investigate policy networks, iron triangles, and other forms of policy subgovernments in the domestic and foreign policy areas. The study of these will give students a clear understanding of the impact of federalism, interest groups, parties, and elections on policy processes and policy making in the federal context. Wilson (James Q.) offers a widely-known and generally respected method for analyzing policy making. He argues that **once an issue gets on the public agenda**, an analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposals will help us understand how the issue will be resolved. Two things to remember about this analysis. 1. When we talk about costs and benefits we're talking about **perceptions**. What do decisions makers **think** are the costs and the benefits and the recipients of each. 2. Costs and benefits are not merely fiscal. Costs include **perceptions** of inconvenience and restriction as well as direct and indirect monetary costs. Benefits are any satisfactions that people **believe** they will enjoy. (People unaware of costs or benefits will not organize or work to influence policy decisions.) Public beliefs about the legitimacy of costs or benefits will also affect decision makers and their constituencies. (i.e. Do welfare mothers deserve public assistance? Should citizens pay taxes?) In case you missed the earlier reference, Wilson says the first thing we need to pay attention to is whether and how issues get on the public agenda. The determinants of whether and how include beliefs (oh, those beliefs again!) about the legitimate scope of public action, the actions of organized groups, actions of government institutions, publicity in the media (especially "muckrakers"), critical events, and attitudes of elites. Wilson suggests we can make generalizations about policy making. His chapters suggest that policy making for economic issues is different from policy making for social welfare issues or civil liberties issues or civil rights issues, or foreign policy, or military policy or environmental policy. Can you make generalizations about those types of policy making? Economics: fiscal policy, federal budget, taxes, deficits and surpluses, entitlements, Keynesian theory, GDP, the Federal Reserve, redistributive policies, regulatory policies, OMB, CBO, Social Welfare: grants in aid, block grants, categorical grants, entitlements, welfare, food stamps, welfare reform, health care, Medicare, Medicaid, social security, supplemental social security, child labor, worker safety, worker compensation, unemployment, Environment: global warming, acid rain, nuclear waste, other toxic waste, auto emissions, wilderness, GMF, pesticides, water, wildlife, renewables, conservation, exploration, clean up (who pays?) Foreign Policy/National Defense: Cold War hangovers, ABM, GATT, WTO, IMF, World Bank, NAFTA, NATO, UN, bi-lateral relations with _____________, proper use of military, proper level of military readiness, proper level of military spending (armaments), intervention (economic, diplomatic, military), independence/interdependence. Social Welfare Policy: contributory programs, assistance/non-contributory programs, Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, AFDC, food stamps, Medicaid, TANF, Majoritarian Welfare programs, means test, client programs 1