VI. Public policy

A. Policymaking in a federal system

B. The formation of policy agendas

C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy

D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation and interpretation

E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:

1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks

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Public Policy (5-15%)

• Policy Making in a Federal System
  • Elite Theory
  • Bureaucratic Theory
  • Interest Group Theory
    • Multiple Access Points in a Federal System
  • Pluralist theory
    • Multiple Resources among groups
• The Formation of Policy Goals
  • Policy Recognition and Definition
    • Identification of an Issue that Disturbs the People and Leads Them to Call for Government Intervention
  • Agenda Setting
    • Government Recognition that a Problem is Worthy of Consideration for Government Intervention
    • Defining Agendas
      • Systemic
      • Governmental or Institutional
    • Getting on the Congressional Agenda
      • The President
      • Interest Groups
      • Crisis
      • Private Citizens
        • Ralph Nader
        • Rachel Carson
        • Michael J. Fox
        • Christopher Reeve
        • Musicians and Copyright Infringement
      • Political Changes
        • Landslides and Reallignments
  • Policy Formulation
    • Routine
    • Analogous
    • Creative
• The Role of Institutions in the Enactment of Policy
  • Policy Adoption
    • Complex Legislation Takes a Long Time to Pass
    • Legislation is Often Incremental
      • Only Marginal Changes in Existing Policy
    • Legislation is Often Vague
  • Budgeting
• The Role of the Bureaucracy and the Courts in Policy Implementation and Interpretation
  • Policy Implementation
    • Techniques
      • Authoritative
      • Incentive
      • Capacity
      • Horatory
  • Policy Evaluation
    • Congressional Committees
    • Presidential Commissions
    • Bureaucratic Agencies
    • University Researchers
    • Think Tanks
    • Government Accountability Office (GAO)
• Economic Policy
  • Evolution
    • Nineteenth Century
      • Laissez-faire
        • Natural business cycles
    • Progressive Era
      • Creation of government agencies to solve problems
      • Sixteenth Amendment
    • The Great Depression and the New Deal
      • Interventionist state
      • Economic regulations
    • Social Regulations
      • Sixties and Seventies
    • Deregulation
  • Fiscal Policy
  • The Budget
    • Congressional Budget Process (Table 18.1)
    • Debt and Deficits
  • Monetary Policy
    • Federal Reserve System (Figure 18.4)
    • Tools
  • Income Security Programs
• Foreign and Defense Policy
  • Evolution
    • Isolationism
    • Monroe Doctrine
    • Manifest Destiny
    • Spanish American War
      • Imperialism
    • Roosevelt Corollary
      • Panama Canal
    • World War I and the League of Nations
    • Between Wars and Return to Isolationism
  • The United States as a World Power
    • World War II
    • Cold War and Containment
      • Marshall Plan
      • Truman Doctrine
      • NATO
      • Korea
      • Cuban Missile Crisis
      • Vietnam
      • Detente - Nixon
      • Human Rights - Carter
      • Reagan Doctrine
        • Nicaragua
        • El Salvador
      • End of the Cold War
    • Enlargement - Expansion of Democracy
    • 9/11 and the War on Terror
      • Afghanistan
      •  Iraq and the Axis of Evil
  • Foreign and Defense Policy Making
    • The Constitution
    • Executive Branch
      • The President and the National Security Council
      • Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security
      • Joint Chiefs of Staff
      • Intelligence Community
    • Congress
      • Oversight
      • Treaties and Executive Agreements
      • Appointments
      • Appropriations
      • War Powers Act
    • Interest Groups
      • Military Industrial Complex
    • Challenges
      • Trade
        • Protectionism v. Free Trade
        • NAFTA
        • WTO
        • China
          • Loss of jobs
          • Ownership of debt
      • Immigration and Border Security
      • Terrorism
      • Nuclear Weapons
• Linkages Between Policy Processes and the Following
  •             Political Institutions and Federalism
  •             Political Parties
  •             Interest Groups
  •             Public Opinion
  •             Elections
  •             Policy Networks