Suchergebnisse

In the absence of historical opinion survey data, studies of the linkage between popular voting and American public policy have been confined to relatively recent time periods. Questions about these linkages, however, necessarily have a temporal dimension—what is the relationship between voting and policy over time?This paper establishes criteria for citizen policy choice that do not depend on opinion surveys. Data drawn from national party platforms and U.S. statutes, and aggregate voting data are compared to determine the extent to which majority choices are translated into national policy over time. Analysis of these data suggests that whether or not voters are completely aware of all of the implications of their actions, over time, popular majorities appear to govern.

The purpose of this course is to introduce a new framework linking the humanities to public policy analysis as pursued in the government and the academy. Current efforts to link the particular contributions from the humanities to problems of public policy choice are often narrow either in terms of their perspective on the humanities or in terms of their selection of the possible means of influencing policy choice. Sometimes a single text from one of the humanities disciplines is selected to apply to a particular issue. At other times, arguments about the ethical dimensions of a single policy issue often are pursued with a single — or sometimes, no — point of access to the policy process in mind.

THIS PAPER ESTABLISHES CRITERIA FOR CITIZEN POLICY CHOICE THAT DO NOT DEPEND ON OPINION SURVEYS. DATA DRAWN FROM NATIONAL PARTY PLATFORMS AND US STATUTES AND AGGREGATE VOTING DATA ARE COMPARED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH MAJORITY CHOICES ARE TRANSLATED INTO NATIONAL POLICY OVER TIME. THE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT POPULAR MAJORITIES APPEAR TO GOVERN.

MANY DISCUSSIONS OF POLICY ANALYSIS ASSUME A "CLIENT" IS ALSO THE "POLICYMAKER" WHO CAN IMPLEMENT RESULTS OF AN ANALYSIS. FOR MOST DOMESTIC SOCIAL PROGRAMS THIS IS MISLEADING; MOST SUCH POLICY CONTEXTS ARE DECENTRALIZED IN THAT THEY INVOLVE NUMEROUS PARTICIPANTS.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Part I: The Mission -- Chapter 1: The Problem and Its Setting -- Chapter 2: The Scope,Significance, and Method of the Inquiry -- Part II: A Framework for Evaluating Public Policymaking -- Chapter 3: The Evaluation of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 4: Net Output as the Primary Criterion for Ascertaining the Quality of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 5: Secondary Criteria for Ascertaining the Quality of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 6: Main Standards for Appraising Policymaking -- Part III: A Diagnostic Evaluation of Contemporary Public Policymaking -- Chapter 7: The Empiric Study of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 8 : Decisionmaking by Subunits -- Chapter 9: Public Policymaking in Modern States -- Chapter 10: Public Policymaking in Developing States -- Chapter 11: An Evaluation and Diagnosis of the Present State of Public Policymaking -- Part IV: An Optimal Model of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 12: A Critical Survey of Normative Models of Public Policymaking -- Chapter 13: The Major Characteristics of the Optimal Model -- Chapter 14: The Phases of the Optimal Model -- Chapter 15: The Structure of Optimal Public Policymaking -- Part V: On Improving Public Policymaking -- Chapter 16: The Major Improvements Needed in Public Policymaking -- Chapter 17: Changes Needed in Knowledge -- Chapter 18: Changes Needed in Personnel -- Chapter 19: Changes Needed in Structure and Process Patterns -- Chapter 20: Changes Needed in Input and Stipulated Output -- Chapter 21: Changes Needed in the Environment -- Part VI: The Choice: Shaping The Future Or Muddling Through -- Chapter 22: The Significance of Society's Major Alternatives -- Appendixes -- Appendixes A: Tables -- Appendixes B: A Summary of the Phases of Optimal Public Policymaking