Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems , guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. These policies govern and include various aspects of life such as education, health care, employment, finance, economics, transportation, and all over elements of society. The implementation of public policy is known as public administration . Public policy can be considered the sum of a government's direct and indirect activities and has been conceptualized in a variety of ways.
70-562: William Henry Barnum (September 17, 1818 – April 30, 1889) was an American politician , serving as a state representative, congressman, U.S. senator, and finally as chairman of the Democratic National Committee . He was also known as "Seven Mule Barnum". Barnum was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts , the son of Laura (Tibbals) and Milo Barnum. Barnum moved to Lime Rock, Connecticut , and served in
140-435: A form of direct action is either using the resources already publicly available (Make) or contracting the private sector to address the issue (Buy). The indirect section of money explains means to dissuade or encourage behavior using money. Literally through taxing the undesired behavior and subsidizing the desired behavior. The direct section of Other echoes the direct section of Money. However, instead of using fiscal power,
210-644: A large number of high-capacity wood boxcars for the Southern Pacific Railroad (both railroads were controlled in part by Huntington). Ensign was one of the 13 companies that merged in 1899 to form the American Car and Foundry Company . William H. Barnum was a founder of the Barnum & Richardson Company of Lime Rock, Connecticut, and Chicago , Illinois. The corporation grew to immense profitability and industrial volume, and became one of
280-513: A multifaceted variety of positions of responsibility both domestically and internationally. The role of the politician has changed dramatically over time, for example, Pericles of Athens played an important role in politics in ancient Greece both in public life and in decision-making as depicted in Philip Foltz's 19th-century painting. Over time the figure of the politician has evolved to include many forms and functions. For example, In
350-471: A new business venture using their political connections. The personal histories of politicians have been frequently studied, as it is presumed that their experiences and characteristics shape their beliefs and behaviors. There are four pathways by which a politician's biography could influence their leadership style and abilities. First, a politician’s biography may shape their core beliefs, which are essential to shaping their worldview. The second pathway
420-415: A particular issue. The use of effective tools and instruments determines the outcome of a policy. Many actors can be important in the public policy process, but government officials ultimately choose public policy in response to the public issue or problem at hand. In doing so, government officials are expected to meet public sector ethics and take the needs of all project stakeholders into account. It
490-422: A positive effect. Enforcement may include law enforcement or combine incentive and disincentive-based policy instruments. A meta-analysis of policy studies across multiple policy domains suggests enforcement mechanisms are the "only modifiable treaty design choice" with the potential to improve the mostly low effectiveness of international treaties . As stated by Paul Cairney, the implementation gap are
560-448: A range of tools and approaches to help in this task. Government action is the decisions, policies, and actions taken by governments, which can have a significant impact on individuals, organizations, and society at large. Regulations, subsidies, taxes, and spending plans are just a few of the various shapes it might take. Achieving certain social or economic objectives, such as fostering economic expansion, lowering inequality, or safeguarding
630-414: A role in legislative gridlock and negatively impact public perception, which negatively impacts politicians’ interests. Additionally, research highlighted that politicians, especially populist politicians, may create a challenge for themselves by increasingly accusing the media of spreading misinformation or “fake news.” Such accusations can undermine the credibility of media platforms, even though trust in
700-694: A role in shaping shape voter behavior and political preferences Also, educational background in politics also plays an important role in shaping the political awareness of politicians and plays a major role in increasing people’s confidence in them. Some critics often accuse politicians of not communicating with the public. They accuse politicians' speeches of being sometimes overly formal, filled with many euphemisms and metaphors, and generally seen as an attempt to "obscure, mislead, and confuse". Lack of awareness, selfishness, manipulation , and dishonesty are perceptions that people often accuse politicians of, and many see them as prioritizing personal interests over
770-545: A series of stages, from a notional starting point at which policymakers begin to think about a policy problem to a notional end point at which a policy has been implemented, and policymakers think about how successful it has been before deciding what to do next." Officials considered policymakers bear the responsibility to advance the interests of various stakeholders. Policy design entails conscious and deliberate effort to define policy aims and map them instrumentally. Academics and other experts in policy studies have developed
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#1732776668834840-515: Is a time-consuming ' policy cycle '. The policy cycle as set out in Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues . Agenda setting identifies problems that require government attention, deciding which issue deserve the most attention and defining the nature of the problem. Most public problems are made through the reflection of social and ideological values. As societies and communities evolve over time,
910-511: Is however worth noting that what public policy is put forward can be influenced by the political stance of the party in power. Following the 2008/2009 financial crisis, David Cameron's Conservative party looked to implement a policy of austerity in 2010 after winning the general election that year, to shore up the economy and diminish the UK's national debt. Whilst the Conservatives saw reducing
980-427: Is influenced by different public problems and issues, and has different stakeholders; as such, each requires different public policy. In public policy making, numerous individuals, corporations, non-profit organizations and interest groups compete and collaborate to influence policymakers to act in a particular way. Therefore, "the failure [of public policies] is possibly not only the politician's fault because he/she
1050-652: Is influenced by their social and work environments, their ideology, and the parties to which they belong, furthermore, the development of means of communication and social media have increased public participation in policy-making, leading to a reformation of politician's identity and increasing the complexity of political work. Politicians are influential people who use rhetoric to impact people as in speeches or campaign advertisements. They are especially known for using common themes, and media platforms that allow them to develop their political positions, developing communication between them and
1120-474: Is measured by the capacity to create public value ." Other scholars define public policy as a system of "courses of action, regulatory measures, laws, and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its representatives". Public policy is commonly embodied in "constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions". Transformative constitutions of Global South considers judicial actions for Public policy as paramount, since
1190-432: Is never the lone player in the field of decision making. There is a multitude of actors pursuing their goals, sometimes complementary, often competing or contradictory ones." In this sense, public policies can be the result of actors involved, such as interest organization's, and not necessarily the will of the public. Furthermore, public policy is also affected by social and economic conditions, prevailing political values,
1260-433: Is straightforward and easy to understand, the cycle is not totally applicable in all situations of policymaking due to it being far too simple as there are more crucial steps that should go into more complex real life scenarios. The mainstream tradition of policy studies has been criticized for oversimplifying the processes of public policy, particularly in use of models based on rational choice theory , failing to capture
1330-426: Is suitable when the matter of concern is relatively simple and unambiguous, and the means of enactment are expected to be highly disciplined. But where the matter is complex and/or contested – where intentions are confused and/or disguised – it may not be possible to define the policy ideas clearly and unambiguously. In this case it may be useful to identify a policy in terms of what actually happens. David Easton in
1400-447: Is that of Thomas R. Dye , according to whom "public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do" (Dye, 1972: 2). Although widely used, Dye's concept is also criticized as being an empty concept. Dye himself admitted that his concept "discourages elaborate academic discussions of the definition of public policy - we say simply that public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do". In an institutionalist view,
1470-597: Is the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management . Much of public policy is concerned with evaluating decision-making in governments and public bureaucracies. Public policy making can be characterized as a dynamic, complex, and interactive system through which public problems are identified and resolved through the creation of new policy or reform of existing policy. Public problems can originate in endless ways and require different policy responses (such as regulations, subsidies, import quotas, and laws) on
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#17327766688341540-465: Is the setting of the objectives for the policy, along with identifying the cost and effect of solutions that could be proposed from policy instruments. Legitimation is when approval/ support for the policy instruments is gathered, involving one of or a combination of executive approval, legislative approval, and seeking consent through consultation or referendums. Policy implementation is establishing or employing an organization to take responsibility for
1610-548: Is those personal experiences that influence a politician's skills and competence, and which determine where politicians focus their resources and attention as leaders. The third pathway refers to biographical characteristics that influence a politician's resource allocation and responses based on characteristics such as race or gender. The fourth pathway is how a politician's biography affects his public perception, which affects politicians' leadership style and their strategy for gaining people's respect. Numerous scholars have studied
1680-420: Is through a series of stages known as "the policy cycle", which was first discussed by the political scientist Harold Laswell in his book The Decision Process: Seven Categories of Functional Analysis , published in 1956. The characterization of particular stages can vary, but a basic sequence is agenda setting, policy formulation, legitimation , implementation, and evaluation. "It divides the policy process into
1750-544: Is usually either continued as is, modified, or discontinued. This cycle will unless discontinued go back to the agenda-setting phase and the cycle will commence again. However, the policy cycle is illustrated in a chronological and cyclical structure which could be misleading as in actuality, policymaking would include overlapping stages between the multiple interactions of policy proposals, adjustments, decision-making amongst multiple government institutions and respective authoritative actors. Likewise, although its heuristic model
1820-459: The policy window , another concept demonstrating the critical moment within a time and situation that a new policy could be motivated. Because the definition of public problems are not obvious, they are most often denied and not acted upon. The problem stream represents a policy process to compromise for how worthy problems are to create policies and solutions. This is represented in five discrete factors: Therefore, John Kingdon's model suggests
1890-441: The public interest and develop long-term strategies. Challenges include how to keep up with the development of social media and confronting biased media, in addition to discrimination against them on the basis of gender , race , or belief, which requires them to adapt their communications to engage citizens, confront discrimination, and spread their message effectively. Politicians are people who participate in policy-making, in
1960-437: The "policy process is a complex political process in which there are many actors: elected politicians, political party leaders, pressure groups, civil servants, publicly employed professionals, judges, non-governmental organizations, international agencies, academic experts, journalists and even sometimes citizens who see themselves as the passive recipients of policy." A popular way of understanding and engaging in public policy
2030-473: The Barnum & Richardson Company. Through the marriage of his sister to Connecticut industrialist and financier Leonard Richardson, William H. Barnum was collaterally related to the Jacob Bunn and John Whitfield Bunn industrial and financial family of Springfield , and Chicago, Illinois. William H. Barnum was a pioneer in religious tolerance . Although an Episcopalian (he was the principal donor for
2100-582: The Mexican government introduced the Federal Law on Administrative Responsibilities of Public Officials (2002) which establishes professional and accountable standards for officials against corruption and the spoils system. Also, The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 in the USA has established corruption to protect federal employees who report corruption, fraud, or other illegal activities within
2170-480: The US, Members of Congress have observed that partisan rancour, ideological disputes, and decreased willingness to compromise on policies have made policy making far more difficult than it was only a decade ago .These are good examples of how varying political beliefs can impact what is perceived as paramount for the electorate. Since societies have changed in the past decades, the public policy making system changed too. In
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2240-416: The USA of the 1950s provided an illustration of the need he found to broaden his conceptualization of public policy beyond stated ideas: "If the formal policy of an educational system forbids discrimination against Negroes but local school boards or administrators so zone school attendance that Negroes are segregated in a few schools, both the impartial law and discriminatory practices must be considered part of
2310-668: The United States of America, George Washington played a pivotal role as a politician because he was the first President of the United States of America . Today, political offices take many forms in the modern century in the United States of America such as ministers, mayors , governors , senators , and presidents, each of whom has different duties. While all government leaders are considered politicians, not all politicians are subject to voters, autocratic and dictatorial regimes remain extant. The identity of politicians
2380-400: The accused politicians remains largely unaffected. They will therefore have a negative impact on the credibility of media platforms, and this distrust may extend to the media institutions as a whole that politicians use to communicate with people. Regarding the challenges of gender dynamics, particularly the role of women in politics , some recent research focuses on the life path of women in
2450-495: The broader policy outcomes, "focus[ing] on a policy's societal consequences." In the United States, this concept refers not only to the result of policies, but more broadly to the decision-making and analysis of governmental decisions. As an academic discipline, public policy is studied by professors and students at public policy schools of major universities throughout the country. The U.S. professional association of public policy practitioners, researchers, scholars, and students
2520-493: The characteristics of politicians and in economic class to explain characteristics impact on politicians' effectiveness and electoral success, comparing politicians involves different dimensions such as level of government (the local and national levels), political ideology (liberal or the more conservative), economic class , and comparing the more successful and less successful in terms of elections. Demographic factors such as age, gender, education, income, and race/ethnicity, play
2590-643: The construction of, and chairman of the incorporators of Trinity Episcopal Church in Lime Rock), he did not discriminate against Roman Catholics as so many in that area of New England did at the time. Notably, according to several stories in 1883 in the New York Times , he contributed around $ 6,000 to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church of Lakeville, and later contributed $ 500 to build a new Roman Catholic church in Cornwall Bridge . Importantly, when
2660-419: The current dynamics in today's society as well as sustaining ambiguities and misunderstandings. In contrast, an anthropological approach to studying public policy deconstructs many of the categories and concepts that are currently used, seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the configurations of actors, activities, and influences that go into shaping policy decisions, implementations and results. Each system
2730-511: The environment, is the aim of government action. Public policy can be conceptualized in varying ways, according to the purposes of the speaker or author, and the characteristics of the situation they are concerned with. One dividing line in conceptions of public policy is between those that see it primarily in terms of ideas (principles and plans of action) and those that see it as a collection of empirical phenomena (the things that are done, and their outcomes). The first of these conceptualizations
2800-711: The famous showman P. T. Barnum , for Congress, and notably being the longest-serving chair of the Democratic National Committee — Barnum was a prominent industrialist. The Barnum Richardson Company , of which he was chief executive, was headquartered in Lime Rock (now a neighborhood of Lakeville ), and was the leading company in the Salisbury iron district of that time, owning or controlling iron mines, charcoal production resources, limestone quarries, and rail transportation. Barnum Richardson Company
2870-555: The foremost metal products manufacturers in the world. William H. Barnum had a nephew, Milo Barnum Richardson , who was a leader in New York City finance and insurance, having acted as a founder of the New York City branch of the Caledonian Life Insurance Company of Scotland. Milo B. Richardson, who also was a leader in the development and management of New England railroads, served as president of
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2940-557: The foundation of public policy is composed of national constitutional laws and regulations. Further foundational aspects include both judicial interpretations and regulations which are generally authorized by legislation. Public policy is considered strong when it solves problems efficiently and effectively, serves and supports governmental institutions and policies, and encourages active citizenship. In his book Advanced Introduction to Public Policy , B. Guy Peters defines public policy as "the set of activities that governments engage in for
3010-413: The government. Mattozzi and Merlo argue that politicians typically follow two main career paths in modern democracies. The first is career politicians who remain in government until retirement. The second is political careerists, who have gained a reputation for their experience at various levels of government such as international, federal, state, and local governments, they often leave politics and start
3080-687: The immunity from prosecution they receive as politicians results in further corruption and evasion from legal punishment, as represented by the immunity bath depiction by J.J. Hanberg Public policy They are created and/or enacted on behalf of the public , typically by a government . Sometimes they are made by nonprofit organizations or are made in co-production with communities or citizens, which can include potential experts, scientists, engineers and stakeholders or scientific data, or sometimes use some of their results. They are typically made by policy-makers affiliated with (in democratic polities ) currently elected politicians . Therefore,
3150-415: The implementation should start with the target group, as they are seen as the actual implementers of policy. Evaluation is the process of assessing the extent to which the policy has been successful, or if this was the right policy to begin with/ was it implemented correctly and if so, did it go as expected. Maintenance is when the policy makers decide to either terminate or continue the policy. The policy
3220-479: The integrity of government positions. A notable example of government reform over time are The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 passed by the U.S. Congress to combat corruption, favoritism in hiring, and the spoils system. It advocated hiring based on merit and protected civil servants from political influence. In the modern century, many laws have been put in place to protect employees and reduce corruption and favoritism in employment, for example,
3290-525: The level of government they serve, whether local , national, or international. The ideological orientation that politicians adopt often stems from their previous experience, education, beliefs, the political parties they belong to, or public opinion . Politicians sometimes face many challenges and mistakes that may affect their credibility and ability to persuade. These mistakes include corruption resulting from their misuse and exploitation of power to achieve their interests, which requires them to prioritize
3360-483: The local community angrily responded to the raising of a crucifix by the local Catholic priest by demanding that Barnum fire all his Catholic workmen, he declined to do so. Politician A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes , usually holding a position in government . Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties that politicians must perform vary depending on
3430-474: The local, national, or international level. The public problems that influence public policy making can be of economic, social, or political nature. A government holds a legal monopoly to initiate or threaten physical force to achieve its ends when necessary. For instance, in times of chaos when quick decision making is needed. A topology model can be used to demonstrate the types of and implementation of public policy: The direct section of money explains that
3500-480: The national debt as an absolute priority, the Labour Party, since the effects of Conservative austerity became apparent, have slated the policy for its 'needless' pressure on the working classes and those reliant on welfare, their 2019 election manifesto stating "Tory cuts [have] pushed our public services to breaking point" and that "the Conservatives have starved our education system of funding". Furthermore, in
3570-548: The nature in which norms, customs and morals are proven acceptable, unacceptable, desirable or undesirable changes as well. Thus, the search of crucial problems to solve becomes difficult to distinguish within 'top-down' governmental bodies. The policy stream is a concept developed by John Kingdon as a model proposed to show compelling problems need to be conjoined with two other factors: appropriate political climate and favorable and feasible solutions (attached to problems) that flow together to move onto policy agenda. This reinforces
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#17327766688343640-399: The people. Politicians of necessity become expert users of the media . Politicians in the 19th century made heavy use of newspapers , magazines, and pamphlets, as well as posters to disseminate their messages to appeal to voters' emotions and beliefs in their campaigns. In the 20th century, the scope of media expanded out into radio and television, and a major change occurred as speech
3710-517: The policy window appears through the emergence and connection of problems, politics and policies, emphasizing an opportunity to stimulate and initiate new policies. The issue attention cycle is a concept developed by Anthony Downs (1972) where problems progress through five distinct stages. This reinforces how the policy agenda does not necessarily lead to policy change, as public interest dissipates, most problems end up resolving themselves or get ignored by policymakers. Its key stages include: This
3780-466: The policy, making sure the organization has the resources/legal authority to do so, in addition to making sure the policy is carried out as planned. An example of this would be the department of education being set up. Enforcement mechanisms are a central part of various policies. Enforcement mechanisms co-determine natural resource governance outcomes and pollution -related policies may require proper enforcement mechanisms (and often substitutes) to have
3850-482: The policy." Easton characterized public policy as "a web of decisions and actions that allocates values". Other definitions of public policy in terms of a broad range of empirical phenomena include that of Paul Cairney: "the sum total of government action from signals of intent to the final outcomes". An example of conceiving public policy as ideas is a definition by Richard Titmuss : "the principles that govern action directed towards given ends". Titmuss' perspective
3920-567: The political field and the challenges surrounding them. For example, there are studies on the "supermader" model in politics in Latin America, which illustrate the difficulties women face and how to balance their home and work and the distinction between women and men that negatively affects their acceptance in political work. . Historically, in patronage-based systems, especially in the 19th century, winning politicians replaced civil servants and government employees who were not protected by
3990-485: The political forces that facilitate legislative decisions may run counter to the will of the people. Public policy focuses on the decisions that create the outputs of a political system, such as transport policies, the management of a public health service, the administration of a system schooling and the organization of a defense force. The directly measurable policy outputs, "actions actually taken in pursuance of policy decisions and statements," can be differentiated from
4060-520: The public interests. Politicians in many countries are seen as the “most hated professionals,” and the least trustworthy, leading to public skepticism and constant criticism. In addition, some politicians tend to be negative, this strategy, although it does not enhance their chances of being re-elected or gaining public support, politicians see this negativity as consistent with negative media bias, which increases their chances of securing media access and public attention. Also, lack of accountability and
4130-452: The publics mood and the structure of government which all play a role in the complexity of public policy making. The large set of actors in the public policy process, such as politicians, civil servants, lobbyists, domain experts, and industry or sector representatives, use a variety of tactics and tools to advance their aims, including advocating their positions publicly, attempting to educate supporters and opponents, and mobilizing allies on
4200-466: The purpose of changing their economy and society", effectively saying that public policy is legislation brought in with the aim of benefiting or impacting the electorate in some way. In another definition, author B. Dente in his book Understanding Policy Decisions explains public policy as "a set of actions that affect the solution of a policy problem, i.e. a dissatisfaction regarding a certain need, demand or opportunity for public intervention. Its quality
4270-414: The rules of government service with their supporters, a so-called “ spoils system .” In response to the corruption this system fostered, government job reforms were introduced. These reforms required elected politicians to work with existing civil servants and officials to pursue long-term public interest goals, rather than simply rewarding their supporters. This shift aimed to reduce corruption and prioritize
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#17327766688344340-497: The speed of spread and interaction. Politicians, who rarely meet voters in person, seek to use the media as a means of communicating with people, winning votes, and obtaining political roles. Some research confirms that the media increases the popularity of a politician, and indicates that negative news has a stronger effect on popularity than positive news. Some research has suggested that politicians tend to use social media more than traditional media because their perception of
4410-448: The stages a policy must go through before an authoritative decision is made and carried out. As an example, the agenda setting stage is followed by the policy formulation, this will continue until the policy is implemented. "Top-down" and "bottom-up" describe the process of policy implementation. Top-down implementation means the carrying out of a policy at the top i.e. central government or legislature. The bottom-up approach suggests that
4480-680: The state house of representatives from 1851 to 1852. He then served in the United States House of Representatives for Connecticut's 4th District from March 4, 1867, until his resignation on May 18, 1876. Barnum then became a U.S. senator , serving until March 3, 1879. He was chairman of the DNC from 1877 to 1889. He died in Lime Rock on April 30, 1889, and is buried in Lime Rock Cemetery. In addition to Barnum's political attainments — which also include defeating his third cousin,
4550-437: The state uses authoritative power to enforce this. This comes in ways of making an action mandatory (Oblige) or prohibiting the behavior by threatening of law (Prohibit). The indirect section of Other is spreading information on an issue to the public (Inform) and making calls to action on an issue (Implore) It is through a combined effort of these means that a state addresses and works on any given issue. Public policy making
4620-662: The traditional media’s influence as a public informant greatly affects their satisfaction with democratic processes. So they prefer to use social media and communicate directly with people in order to have greater control over their message and easier communication. This continuous evolution in media has made politicians adapt their discourse to these diverse and evolving platforms for greater communication and effectiveness. In this century of advanced communications, politicians face challenges and difficulties while communicating with people through various social media platforms . The implicit importance of social media for politics stems from
4690-413: The virtual space these platforms have created for expressing ideas and spreading mutual messages without restrictions. Misinformation , rumors, and discrimination complicate their political behavior and communication with people. Also, Political polarization created by the media plays a role in influencing politicians’ behavior and communications, which reinforces negative campaigns. They also play
4760-491: Was also the preeminent manufacturer of railroad car wheels at a time when the railroad industry held a place in the economy analogous to the computer industry today. In 1872 he partnered with Collis P. Huntington to finance Ensign Manufacturing Company , a railroad freight car manufacturer. Among Ensign's products were the largest wooden hopper cars built for the Central Pacific Railroad as well as
4830-491: Was now presented visually as well as verbally as evidenced by the Kennedy-Nixon debates , marking a new era where visual media became crucial to campaigns. The twenty-first century has provided wide and diverse media platforms represented by Facebook, and Twitter, which has now become X, Instagram, YouTube, and others. This development has made their rhetorical messages faster, shorter more efficient, and characterized by
4900-421: Was particularly one of social contract ethics. More recently, Antonio Lassance has defined public policy as "an institutionalized proposal to solve a central problem, guided by a conception" (Lassance, 2020: 7). Lassance's perspective and concerns are grounded in a theory of change or program theory which he believes can be empirically tested. One of the most known and controversial concepts of public policy
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