Download GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS

Introduction
GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND
THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS
American Government:
Policy & Politics,
Eighth Edition
TANNAHILL
Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2006
In This Chapter We Will Cover:
• The importance of government
• Government and politics
• The public policy approach to studying
government
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Government Affects Individual
Americans in Many Ways
• Regulations
– Speed limits
– Minimum drinking age
– Protection from unsafe products
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Government Affects Individual
Americans in Many Ways
• Services
– Public hospitals
– Schools
– Transportation
– Student loans
– Welfare
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Government Affects Individual
Americans in Many Ways
• Taxes
– Federal, state, and local taxes
represent 30 percent of the nation’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
–Workers pay payroll and income
taxes on wages
–Consumers pay sales taxes and
excise taxes
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Government and Politics
• Government: the institution with
authority to set policy for society
• Politics: the process that determines
who shall occupy the roles of leadership
in government and how the power of
government shall be exercised
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Public Policy, the Public Policy
Approach, and the
Policymaking Environment
• Public policy refers to the response, or
lack of response, of government
decision-makers to an issue.
• The public policy approach is a
comprehensive method for studying the
process by which public policy is
created.
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Public Policy, the Public Policy
Approach, and the
Policymaking Environment
• The policymaking environment refers to
factors outside government that impact
the policymaking process.
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Stages of the Policy Process
• Agenda building
–Problems become matters of
public concern
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Stages of the Policy Process
• Policy Formulation
–Alternative strategies for
dealing with problems are
developed
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Stages of the Policy Process
• Policy Adoption
–The decision of a government
body to accept a particular
policy and put it into effect
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Stages of the Policy Process
• Policy Implementation
–The stage in the policy
process in which policies are
carried out
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Stages of the Policy Process
• Policy evaluation
–The assessment of policy,
involving questions of equity,
efficiency, effectiveness, and
political feasibility
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Types of Policy Evaluations
• Normative analysis is based on
certain values.
• Empirical analysis is a method
relying upon experience and
scientific observation.
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Concluding Review
Questions
• How does government impact your life?
• What is the difference between politics
and government?
• Why is the policymaking environment
important?
• What are the stages of the policymaking
process?
Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2006