《理解公共政策》课件3.docVIP

Chapter 3: Policymaking Process I. How Policies Are Made: A. Identify the problem B. Agenda Setting: focus the media on the situation C. Formulate the policy proposals D. Legitimize policies through governmental and political groups E. Implement policy through bureaucracies F. Evaluate policies by governmental agencies II. Identification: Public Opinion A. opinion-policy linkage: never know if public opinion shapes policy or if policy shapes opinion. 1. VO Key established evidence that elections, parties, and interest groups do institutionalize channels of communication from citizens to decision makers. B. policy effects: public policy shapes public opinion more often than the reverse. 1. Public opinion is unstable 2. Few people have opinions on a great bulk of policy questions 3. Leaders do not have precise view of opinion because they hear from elites C. Media Effects: 1. News believe they are public opinion but are often wrong because they confuse their opinion with that of the public. 2. Shape public opinion by saying it is the mass opinion. 3. Decision makers respond to news because they think it is the opinion of the people. D. Opinion Polls 1. Pollsters produce opinions because no one admits when they don’t have an opinion on a subject. E. Instability of Opinion 1. Public opinion tends to be unstable. 2. Never real changes, just appear as such F. Wording of Questions 1. Opinions vary according to the wording of the question 2. can word things to elicit approval or disapproval G. Communicating with Policymakers 1. Decision makers can misinterpret opinion b/c of elite bias in info. 2. Congress world of opinion is self reinforcing 3. Those who write or call senators or rep. are usually more informed III. Identifying Policy Issues: Elite Opinion A. Elite preferences are more likely to be in accord with policy than mass opinion. B. Can be argued that decision makers are acting rationally to their argument. IV Agenda Setting and Nondecision