public policy final

Mandatory spending

programs where we already have a law that says who benefits from a program (ex: medicare, medicaid)

NRA & passage of gun control

-all about power of interest groups -Summary: Examines what happened with policy after Sandy Hook massacre when citizens assumed gun control would increase/change An opportunity for change w gun control, but didn't happen NRA= so powerful, controlled elections and did not want change Republicans limit liberal positions Draper NRA reading notes: -bill introduced after the Sandy Hook shooting, bill intended to extend background checks but never ended up passing -NRA has 76 member exec board, NRA chief executive = Wayne LaPierre guarded by the media -NRA initially founded as nonpolitical/non controversial of sportsmen to teach marksmanship to union soldiers but shifted during the civil rights movement -NRA got the passage of Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986: restored many of the gun rights that were outlawed by the 1968 law -NRA made it easiest as possible for members to join Offered discounts on annual/lifetime memberships -6 months after Newtown, gun control advocates pushed for legislation & managed to recruit over 1 million new members -92% Americans favor universal background checks (includes 74% approval by NRA members, and 77% approval of hunters) -Efforts for reform: Pressed face-to-face time w senators Urged NRA members in their states to lecture Washington offices Senators feeling pressure from White House & gun safety groups -Efforts by NRA against reform: Manchin's efforts to scare rep legislators on universal background checks Manchin found a co-sponsor (Toomey) with an A-rating by NRA Cox & Baker goal to make Manchin's bill attractive to gun owners Suggested bill changes through phone calls&emails (Bill change suggestions included: redefining legal definition of a gun show, exempting certain firearm purchases from background checks) -Created Manchin-Toomey bill NRA tactics: -Stopping a bill they don't like Pushing favored bills through congress Arm twisting to get their way Strives to be in the room where legislation happens Cut deals w allies, including dems Through compromises (that many critique & goes against NRA's initial platform) Extreme gun groups can influence the NRA simply by casting it as the establishment organization: -Occurred with the Manchin Toomey bill -Caused NRA lobbyists to suddenly back away from the background checks bill -Due to Gun Owners of America's mass email -9-1 against bill -The opposition to the bill caused by significant fear that the bill would lead to a national registry despite the provision that explicitly made it a felony to do so

What are the 2 agent/actor based approaches?

1. Group Theory/ Pluralism 2. Elite theory

The severity, scope, and causes of the problem

Policy analysts study the nature of the problem. Which statement below best defines what this refers to? -scope:

Tragedy of the commons

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain -Open access field, no body works together but no one owns it -Can only hold an X amount of animals, if animals are added beyond this, the grass cannot grow fast enough to support them all -If all restrain their use of the commons, the field will thrive, but the rational choice thought is that if others are restraining then your sheep can graze longer, but if everyone does this the grass will die, but if the grass is going to die anyway why not -If you can count on others→ you are incentivized to graze longer -Predictable result: destruction of the commons because everyone will try to do best for their personal self even though ultimately it will not be good because it destroys the commons -Groups best interest: keep animals on the field at right number, but its in the individudals herdsman interest to profit from the animal -Individual profit vs common good/gain

Subgovernments - iron triangles

"Iron Triangle" -Impenetrable -Public and media are not represented (called a sub gov't bc it takes place behind the scenes where media/public can't see what's going on inside) -Form of sub government -Makes things happen that only benefits them- messed up! Congress gives funding and support to bureaucracy, bureaucracy supports policy choices and execution of congress Interest groups give electoral support to congress and in return congress gives friendly legislation Bureaucracy give slow regulations to interest groups, and in return interest groups support via lobbying

Role of Tea Party in passage of ACA:

"Reduce spending + taxes to reduce deficit + debt Opposed auto industry→ bailouts and financial rescue helped democrats win Aggressive opposition slowed process but, also made it hard for republicans to dominate politically b/c party was split

Keynesian Economics

-A response to the Great Depression, when Laissez-faire was not working (Really began taking off during WW2) -Unemployment prevents consumer demand -Implication: govt. Action is required to spur consumer demand through higher spending (giving money to people so they buy things) or lowering taxes -Keyn's argued that if you're not buying stuff, there's no reason for employers to make stuff -Says gov't needs to infuse $ into ppl in order for ppl to buy stuff in order for companies to make stuff -Created a lot of jobs, built projects, etc through this idea (putting $ in people's pockets in order to make stuff)

Advocacy coalition framework explanation

-Adds to the iron triangle -Policy change is a function of 3 factors: 1. Interaction of competing coalitions within a policy subsystem 2. Changes external to the subsystem (economic changes, shifts in public opinion, changes in parties) >Ex: changes in parties/new president etc 3. Effects of "stable system parameters" (constitutional structure, core beliefs) -Ex: a system of federalism or sep. of powers > that constitutional structure is a constraint for those competing triangles to operate Would be diff. If there was a unitary system instead -These three entities can work together to establish the policy without the general public knowing - most successful on areas that are highly technical >Congress passes a budget to the bureaucracy - which determines regulations - bureaucracy interprets regulations and laws >Thinking about interest groups - like corporations or advocacy groups - they are impacted by the regulations and impact congress through the electoral support >Iron part of it - most successful when they are shielded from the public and the media - works better -Entities can work together without the public knowing >A lot of different moving parts

Role of the supreme court in policymaking

-Federalist 78: Independence of judges & the structure of the federal judiciary Senate confirmations "The judiciary has no influence over either the sword or the purse (army or $), it may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgement" -Triangle: top - supreme court middle - court of Appeals (13th circuit) bottom - district court (94, Trial courts) -Only court that has the power of precedent -Top of the triangle -9 supreme court justices currently -Framers intended courts to have limited role in public policy, but just to interpret laws to be constitutional & is limited in its authority Powers: -Shortest article -Barely any qualifications for supreme court justices -All federal judges = life terms -When a chief justice leaves, president can elect someone new or promote from within

Legislative agencies

-GAO -CRS -CBO: Congressional budget office They scores legislation

Stage 1: Agenda setting

-How problems arise and come to the agenda in the first place -Problems are defined and turned into policy design -Problems and solutions gain or lose attention of public and elite -Shaped by the priorities of the policy makers→ thus even tho there are many issues that are likely to get on the agenda, only a fraction of them are carried out to public agenda (because they have the specific intersection of the three policy streams)

Supply-side economics

-If taxes are too high, there's less incentive to save and invest, thereby depressing economic activity, giving govt. less revenue -If you cut taxes on the rich, they'll invest that money & create jobs for everyone -Implication: lower taxes - spurs savings and investment, improving economic activity -Libertarians would utilize supply side economics more so they can spend more $ the way the want as well as creating a smaller gov't Depends though on benefits to the top though supply side that libertarians may not favor entirely -Early mid 1970s: economy began falling slightly that keynesian principles should have prevented >When there's low employment, there should be low inflation (inverse relationship) according to Keyns >Companies would reduce the amount of how much things cost & vice versa

Biggest changes of ACA

-Insurance companies must cover essential benefits: Ambulatory patient services Hospitalization Mental health Rehabilitation Prevention Emergencies maternity/newborn service Prescription drugs Laboratory service Pediatric service -It was a really big change for anyone who couldn't get insurance from employer & the cheaper plans usually hadn't included the above services -Another change: subsidies & exchanges > Cost saving mechanism built into plan -Community ratings: Not discriminating based on pre-existing conditions but instead tying it to communities they come from (ex: smoking) > building those costs into everyone & not based on the individual > it's about equity Controversial bc healthy people (ex: who don't smoke) don't want to have to be tied to this community aspect & pay more for others -Tax increases: on investment income, on employers, individual mandate, excise tax on "cadillac plans", rollbacks on deductions, on indoor tanning salons, etc ( things usually adopted by the rich)

Stage 3: Legitimation

-Key for public policy making process in which dif alternatives and taken into account and policies are then shaped accordingly -Decisions by policy makers are given legal force and therefore legitimized -Legitimation stage influenced by public and thus policy makers have to take into account requests and demands of citizens

Background leading up to MA Model/Obama's priority (Starr ch6-7)

-Medicare prescription drug act under Bush Administration, & health care, treatments & costs have expanded Problem ID in 2008-09 Lack of affordability: -Affected ppl across many incomes, specifically poor & middle class -Fewer employers were providing health care options > resulted in affordability crisis -Ppl can always go and purchase an individual health care plan but the problem was that it was costly Lack of access: -Some ppl weren't covered/qualified for medicare/medicaid/non-working etc -Lack of equality -Women use health care more than men so before affordable care act, women were charged more -Relates to lack of access/affordability & creates inequalities Lack of quality: -Problem: if we expand access/affordability, is it sacrificing the quality -Lack of agreement abt whether health care is a right, as in public education -Healthcare should be viewed as a right with little disagreement on that but the question is: is everyone entitled to the same health care -The way the problem is framed (and what the objectives/goals were defined as) all affects the policy tools & policy outcomes

Stage 2: Formulation

-Policy alternatives are developed to struggle with current problems on agenda -Number of policy options is reduced and policy make it easier to make decisions -Pre-policy decision stage -Narrowed to ease the final decision -What is the plan, what are the goals, what are the positive and negative externalities in each alternative?

Incrementalism

-Policy comes at increments of change- small, incremental changes... most of choices policy makers make are small changes from status quo -Goal of explaining policy change -Agreement on problem definition & goals is not necessary in order to alter policy -Critique of rational choice -Policy making= series of small decisions -Agreement on problem ID/goals isnt necessary in order to alter policy -Policy alternatives are limited to what has worked in the past, therefore POLICY CHANGE IS SLOW -A→ A.5→ B→ B.5→ C (takes a long time to get to C)

Prisoner's dilemma

-Relates to rational choice theory (and relates to why we need gov't in the first place) -Assumes individuals maximize self interest and costs -Two individuals acting in their own self-interests do not produce the optimal outcome >Both parties typically choose to protect themselves at the expense of the other participant -Proves that difficult to maintain cooperation even if it is mutually beneficial -Prisoner's dilemma example→ if both decision makers think purely rationally they would never cooperate -If both actors are rational, both will defect which lead to 10 years and not five, neither of them will gain anything -But in fact, if both were to act "irrationally" they would gain only 5, paradoxical -Idea of social contract: giving up freedom -Rules & regulations needed to protect society so a need for gov't to enforce and create those rules -Example: prisoner deciding what they should do in order to minimize their time in jail > what are their considerations: considering other things other than just one's self interests (ex: not ratting someone out > idea of social trust)

Congress

-Reps come to the house to represent the geographic interests of their constituents so most reps required to resident in district they represent while other senate members required to be residents of state they represent -Senators = longer terms: Framers intended for them to have more power than House Goal = to take out extreme elements and really deliberate/debate legislation -All bills to go through both houses, can start in either house (except for 1 type: revenue/tax bills have to start in the House bc constitution gave House the power of purse) -Filibusters allowed in senate, not in house

Stage 5: Evaluation

-Results and outputs are attempted and put forth -Examined whether the policies reached the determined goals -Evaluation measures success of the policy -Data and numerical evaluation -Identifies weaknesses and strengths of policy using methods and giving feedback → this may begin the loop again

Advantages of Stages Model

-Systematic analysis by dividing policy into stages -Provides better understanding of the process -Steps cannot be regarded as separate from each other, each stage impacts the other -Provides analysts to have broad perspectives on public policies

Stage 4: Implementation

-Takes place after completion and legitimation -Policy goals are transformed into actions -Achievement of policy depends on the effective implementation -If policies are not implemented coherently and efficiently it is not feasible to reach goals

Affirmative action (in the Supreme Court)

-The court must balance 3 competing values: individual liberty, political equality, & the collective good -The supreme court has set policy for affirmative action: Affirmative action policy reflected the ideological stances of the justices sitting at the time a decision was rendered -Idea of affirmative action = to eliminate discrimination in admittance of minorities (ppl of color, women) Regents of the University of California v Bakke (1978): -Landmark decision -Courts said thte policy of the UC school system = unconstitutional due to their quota system (certain # of seats had to be set aside for minorities) & said that is too much equality/liberty to install quotas (deemed it unfair) bc violates individual liberty too much >In hiring & admissions -"Fundamental rights", "suspect classifications" -Is the goal to "eliminate pernicious vestiges of past discrimination" or to advance "diversity as a compelling state interest?" Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) & Gratz v. Bollinger (2003): -Reaffirmed the Bakke set precedent on quotas, but issued with an expiration date (25 yrs) -Values shifted in these cases & referred to diversity as the main concept > to promote diversity as well as eliminate past discrimination

Solving Value Conflict

-Value conflicts must involve trade-offs (must balance the gains of one value against the cost of another) -Cost-benefit analysis = policy goals become costs and benefits expressed with the common denominator of financial value >Some cost-benefit analysis is more abstract (ex: balancing gains to law enforcement against the costs to community relations)

History of how Affordable Care Act came about

-all about employer-Provided Health Insurance -affordable care act = mix of tools New Deal & WW2 (1930s-40s): -Where new programs were created & a safety net for the first time (1930s) but not health care -when government began heavily expanding -New Deal = controversial & many programs didn't get done -1st single-payer system (gov't collects taxes & pays for their health care): creation of veterans association Revenue Act of 1954: -Set up the system of employer provided health care: most people due to this get their healthcare from their employer -by 1954: a VA & employers giving their employees healthcare -higher premium for a lower deductible bc you know you'll use health care at older age -young people likely pay low premium -During war, companies put wage controls on companies to keep stability in the market but lifted after war > companies had gotten around that by offering benefits since they hadn't been allowed to raise salaries -After war gov't changed it so that the employer would pay for part of the health care premium, created incentives with tax deductions > now employers don't pay taxes on employee's payments on their premiums > it's a large benefit for companies as well as employees -Essentially the affordable care act set up system for veterans and workers to have access to affordable care (the majority of working age adults): Jobless people, low wage/contract workers, self employers, the elderly not included so resolution came in 60's specifically a problem bc elderly were the most in need bc they use health care the most Government provided health insurance (1960s): -Veteran's benefits (post-ww1) -Medicare (parts A & B) -Medicaid Schnieder & ingram would say medicare that serves elderly are relatively powerful in society so they are allowed a universal program w few qualifications while the poor is less positively constructed/less organized resulting the tools being used for the poor are used differently

Independent Regulatory Commissions (executive branch)

-all their goals are each very narrow -NLRB: Relates to wages, hours, treatment of workers -Federal reserve board: Regulates banking, monetary policy -FCC federal communication commission: Media, TV, internet regulation/enforcement of those policies -SEC -FEC: Regulate campaign finances/carries out investigations if something violates a campaign law -OSHA: Occupational safety & health Regulates work places for safety to make sure companies aren't polluting -

Government corporations

-between gov't & private corps -purpose these corps bc: each of these realms have specific purposes that serve important functions & to not leave these important things in the hands of private companies/the market which would result in some people not being able to afford it (since private corps goal is to make $ while the goal of government functions of these corps is to make it affordable) -Post office -FDIC: Fed. deposit insurance corporation (ensuring people's deposits up to a certain amount) Came about due to the problem with the New Deal & the Great Depression -AMTRAK -TVA: Tennessee valley authority to electrify rural America/make it profitable in rural parts

Executive Office of Presidency (EOP)

-every member of cabinet is also a member of this >WH chief of staff -Office of VP -National security council: >Created after ww2 and cold war >Council shift depending on issues -Office of management & budget (OMB): Largest exec. Office Large staff Goal - to manage budget Every year they submit/introduce budget to the floor of congress where congress works more on it (essentially just set the president's budget) -Council of Econ Advisors Economic issues -Misc. Others: US Trade Rep, Office of science/tech, office of nat's drug control, etc: Sometimes sit in on meetings

Presidential powers (direct & indirect)

-how president reaches their goals Direct: -signing/veto legislation -Appointments ^above 2 powers are granted in constitution -Executive orders -Rulemaking & implementation Indirect: -Power to persuade (congress): Idea: the president's major power beyond the constitution is this > the work that takes place behind the scenes that allows president's to achieve policies (outside of the media) Seen with Lyndon Johnson -"Going public"

Independent Executive Agencies:

-independent of executive branch & separate from presidential authority -CIA -NASA -EPA: Environmental protection agency -SBA: Small business admin. Loans $ to small businesses or in time of a natural disaster -SSA: Social security admin -

MA Model

-it's essentially the affordable care act but at the national level -over: provided model that showed effective health care could be done > provided hope that the democrats could get the reps on board -it's still private plan (not single payer): Employers w more than 10 workers must provide insurance or pay penalty Example of Pay or Play If employer chose to pay the penalty: would go towards paying the other areas of the plan Expansion of MassHealth (Medicare/SCHIP --childrens health program) for children in families earning up to 3x poverty level Establish new public authority to operate an insurance exchange: -Example of managed competition Commonwealth Care: subsidized program for adults without coverage whose income = less than 3x poverty level Individual mandate

options & alternatives to the ID Problems

-most of the following options are argued should be used as a combination of options, not necessarily just 1 over another Alternatives Unregulated free market: -Libertarians would favor this: says there would be a market for everyone. Says the government's role in health care dominates the free market Single payer: -For everyone Expansion of medicare/medicaid: -Ex: expanding medicare by expanding it to more ppl or expanding qualifications so more ppl would qualify or changing medicaid threshold for what level of poverty qualifies Change rules for employers (pay or play): -Employers don't have to pay taxes on premiums which is a large benefit for corporations/companies so could shift that taxes bc the tippng point had been reached for many companies -Switched it to Pay or Play: They can either play (put those costs into some fund that would go to pay for health care) or pay (It's an incentive) > Ex: MA Tax credits or Subsidies for low-income: -Obama did this -Helps the middle income group who may not be covered by their employer on top of covering the other areas as well Managed competition (with or without a public option): -Public entity that manages the healthcare plans under that jurisdiction -In US, health insurance is state based (not every company operates in every state) -The public entity would help to manage rates, types of plans, etc so that there's some oversight & is a regulated market but still relies on certain plans just with some regulations -Could include a public option that competes with the private options so people could choose (similar to Medicare for all that want it) > a choice for the ppl Problem with this: it could perpetuate inequality (wealthy ppl would buy the better plan/private plans over poor ppl choosing public plans): -A public option would drive prices down for the private option > if that's successful, then some private companies would go out of business and essentially cause many private companies to stop, ultimately leaving the public option as the only option (single payer) -Lots of controversy abt this idea, never passed Individual Mandate: -How we get ppl to buy in: making it attractive enough so they don't need to force everyone to buy it? > what debate = about -Obama vs. Hillary Clinton: Obama: the only reason ppl don't have health care is bc it's unaffordable so must use these other options (above) to bring the costs down & then everyone will want to buy it Clinton: individual mandate > have to force people to buy it -Some ppl don't want it (healthy, young ppl) -If some people don't buy it, prices goes up for those using it > if everyone pays in for insurance companies, small chance that all are likely to even use it so more $ to help the small portion that's actually using it -Overall said if you give ppl a choice, there's always going to be ppl who opt out

Executive cabinets

-order matters bc if anything happens to president, VP, speaker of the house, then the next president would go to state cabinet -developed after new deal with major expansion of bureaucracy & it's scope -primarily use of rhetoric, not use of policy -15 departments: State Treasury Defense Justice Interior Agriculture Commerce Labor Health & human services Housing & urban development Transportation Energy Education (added after Jimmy Carter) Veterans affairs Homeland security (added after 9/11)

4 Principles of bounded rationality

1). Intended rationality -Assuming most people will be rational -Intending to make decision in your best interest and maximizes cost 2). Adaptation -Playing "game" multiple times, last time and future influences -You scratch mine ill scatch yours ideaology -Policy makers understand that they're not just deciding on a single bill/issue, they think abt what happened prior/in the past & how it influences their decisions then & in future -Decision making adapts to the nature of the problem/specific circumstance 3). Uncertainty -Ability to see cause and effect, approaching things rationally even when there is uncertainty -You don't necessarily need to know what will happen if you do something, you can still approach something rationally without knowing consequences of your actions 4). Trade Offs -People struggle with trade offs, sacrifice, from rational perspective we try to see tradeoffs as part of bigger gain >People don't like trade-offs but most decisions involve them, people are always compromising/giving something up for one's interest -From a rational perspective, ppl can still make those decisions despite giving up things bc what one is attaining (benefits) outweigh the costs -Bounded by constraints but still approaching decisions in a rational manner

Stages heuristic (theory of policy): What are the 5 stages?

1. Agenda setting 2. Formulation 3. Legitimation 4. Implementation 5. Evaluation

6 value hierarchies

1. Equality 2. Justice 3. Security 4. Freedom 5. Democratic decision making 6. Social order -Value hierarchies vary: very systematic, due to time/place, etc -vary by race, gender, income + education

Bounded rationality

A set of boundaries or constraints that tend to complicate the rational decision-making process. -Assumes that preferences and choices are bounded by cognitive and emotional constraints -Conditions for rationality, in long run -Rationality: prioritizing maximizing self interests & minimizing costs

Rational choice theory

A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives. -Assumes preferences are known, stable, and ordered (and transitive) -Assumes information is available + people understand it - in particular, info about causes/effects is known or can be fairly well-estimated -Assumes individuals choose to maximize self-interest and minimize cost Advantages of rational choice theory: >parsimony/reductionist approach >Theoretical generalizability >rigorous/derive formal math models from assumptions > hypothesis testing Disadvantages of rational choice theory: -Decision-making is complicated by "peripheral" considerations -"Real world" is more nuanced

Medicaid

A federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them. -Made for the poor population -Federally funded program (like medicare) but administered by the state (when in medicare it's administered by fed gov't) > it's a means tested program meaning its based on need which is decided by the states based on varying factors -States determine eligibility -medicaid payer system = complicated because isn't the same for all: Poorer states get more funding & funds vary also based on population poor=less & constructed, harder to pinpoint

Systems Theory

A model for understanding political life examining how state's components interact over time and how nonpolitical and international forces shape what it can and cannot accomplish -Most basic form of understanding public policy -Oldest theory -Input: demands support -Center: policitcal system -Decisions are made→ output -Too vague, doesn't inform of certain demands of the poli-sci system in general -They argued that there are inputs (demands from the public w the people having a voice through votes/public opinion/needs) into the political system that produce decisions/policy change as the output >The decisions/output also gives feedback to the people >Didn't end up being useful bc doesn't give necessary info abt the political system. Doesn't tell us abt demographics abt what groups are wanting what demands. Basically doesn't give ppl a lot of info

Medicare

A program added to the Social Security system in 1965 that provides hospitalization insurance for the elderly and permits older Americans to purchase inexpensive coverage for doctor fees and other health expenses. -Part A: doctor's visits -Part B: hospitals -it's a single payer tax system

Elite theory

A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. -A reaction to pluralism sparked w a community debate w members arguing that pluralism is missing info about group demographics. -They especially say that through the agenda-setting process, certain policy options aren't taken seriously/considered Idea that only a few elite make decisions >Elite groups typically make decisions for the majority > have significant influence on major policies > hold power -Many decisions are made before groups/policy movements -Elites have control and keep certrain groups/ideas off the table Biggest critique: >Who are the elites? The elites need to be small group and despite all being rich, doesn't automatically mean they agree on all policy

"the policy trap" of health care

After America finally adopted critical tax and health financing policies in the two decades after WWII it found itself in a policy trap -Devising an increasingly costly and complicated system that has satisfied enough of the public and so enriched the health care industry as to make change v difficult -Basically, enough ppl have it and insurance companies have made so much money(big influence) that change to the plan is rly rly hard >So to not shake it up too much Dems plans and legislation have called for the expansion of private insurance Policy trap bc: 1. Once passed united opposition threatened to repeal the first chance they had 2. Uneasy bc those voting for had to accept compromises that might jeopardize success of program 3. Uneasy bc public opinion was sharply divided -Ppl who have good health care believe they have earned it - elderly, veterans, wealthy 4. Uneasy bc dems needed to stay in power to ensure the program won't be blocked before it can take off -Health care interest groups - v profitable, every dollar spent on health care is a dollar someone in the health care industry earns making this a high interest priority. Different from less personal issues -American political systems are supposed to make innovation difficult, but when reform has the potential to provoke special interest groups, ideological, and political opposition -a deeply dysfunctional system that the country could not bring itself to change -Escaping the trap would require leadership seizing opportunities created by a shift in the underlying conditions

Powers of the media

Agenda- setting Framing & priming Reinforcing beliefs: -Cognitive dissonance - when we account dissenting (opposite beliefs), it causes people psychological anxiety -Effect varies by sophistication/knowledge, strength of partisanship -Does it through psychological constructs

Libertarianism

Background: -1980s: when communitarianism made a come back > largely a reaction to conservative movement in 1980s with Reagon that produced the following ideas -Libertarianism is similar to classical liberalism. Now, classical liberals are more conservative and modern liberals are who we would consider Democrats In General: -Individual freedom is of the utmost importance (economically) -"Which option maximizes individual liberty?" -The idea of a "common good" is problematic -Who gets to decide what benefits society? -Sacrifices individual choice to tend to common interest In Government: -Gov't = an instrument by which individuals can pursue their individual preferences -Govt.'s role is to ensure liberty and prevent fraud -Local govt. should affect people more than the federal govt. -Still values national protection, but should have a small scope (no imposition of values on other countries) and still believes in a legal system -Must decentralize govt. to maintain freedom -Horizontally (diff branches) -Vertically (federal and local govts.) In Public Policy: -Example: If you eliminate social security taxes, you get that money back, which means you get the liberty to put it towards whatever you want (which could include a personal retirement fund) Milton friedman Hw reading: -"The free man will ask neither what his country can do for him nor what he can do for his country. He will ask rather 'what can i and my compatriots do through gov't" -"Gov't is necessary to preserve our freedom ... ; yet by concentrating power in political hands, it is also a threat to freedom" -2 principles "embodied in our constitution" allow us to preserve freedom: Limited scope of gov't & decentralization >They were concerned abt centralization of gov't so they horizontally separated the powers. Also divide power vertically through federalism, ex: splitting power btw states & national gov't > limits scope of authority

Laissez-faire economics

Belief that govt. should stay out of the economy -Holds the assumption that individuals will regulate themselves -The gov't can still intervene in circumstances (danger, etc) -They do care about the environment but the idea is that they think its more efficient, less costly, & fairer to allow companies/individuals to regulate themselves What would regulating themselves look like? (ex: with the environment): -If they overall care abt environment, the free market wouldn't purchase harmful products from other places -Labor organizations could enter into contracts (labor regulations) -New technology to fit their needs for environment without gov't regulations: innovation due to free market could create innovation for the environment >Would be eco-friendly & economically beneficial > idea of companies to realize that & would naturally want to be part of the bandwagon due to competition btw gov'ts >Would rely on companies more than relying on the gov't for that information on things like 'who are the pulluters etc -Libertarian's think it's your choice, it's up to the individual to agree or not with the corporations > that plays a role w agenda setting >It the people under companies (consumers) don't agree with that information/regulations set forth by companies, than it balances out eventually through companies shifting whats important

Clinton's 1994 plan & its failure

Clinton's 1994 Plan: -Made it the focus of his presidency -Universal coverage with a guaranteed benefit package, employee - based financing, cost containment in part through global budgeting, the use of health networks as an option for providing services, and emphasis on preventive and primary care, and expanded support of long term care emphasizing care in the home Failure: -Clinton could not obtain any reform legislation from congress w/0 votes from Republicans and moderate dems in the house -The disarray of the democratic party at the time lead to an ununited democratic plan on health care so he couldn't get the votes -Erosion of passionate support from public and businesses that it was relying on -Succeeded in mobilizing the opposition -The plan was designed inside the White house w the clinton label on it led to the confusion of the public feelings about the pres and his wife with the health care issue -Delaying health care until 1994 and the "Whitewater" scandal that undermined pres and his wife and their personalized health care issue took a hit -Policy legacy - failure of earlier health programs to control spending -Complexity of the bill, super long and the administration's failure to clearly explain how it would work in practice

case study 1

Congress approval rating fell to 11%, then to 9% -16 day government shutdown -Republican blocking for affordable care act Republic congress & democrat senate -2 year compromise restored $63 billion to defense & domestic programs. Cut out $23 billion over 10 years 2012 fiscal cliff -Political environment was changed/polarized & urgent -Ryan - republican -Murray - dem senate Super committee fail = set stage for successful negotiation of ryan & murray -Republicans polling badly led to agreement -Found commonalities humanizing -Each comprised core principles -Senate 64-36 -House 332-94 -Agreement spared billions if there was a shutdown Agreement elements: -Non-partisan act binding -Repeated interactions -Penalty defaults -Privacy Use of "integrate negotiation" parties trade away low priorities issues in exchange for high-prioritizing concerns

fiscal cliff

Decrease in government spending and increase in tax rates -a situation in which a particular set of financial factors causes or threatens sudden and severe economic decline -Basically a combo of policies, sequester would throw USA into another recession -Helped to get the deal made in order to avoid the "cliff" -Combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board government spending cuts: if the federal government allowed these two events to proceed as planned, they would have a detrimental effect on an already shaky economy, perhaps sending it back into an official recession as it cut household incomes, increased unemployment rates, and undermined consumer and investor confidence

Problems of Agenda-setting

Determining which public-policy questions will be debated or considered. Problems with agenda-setting: -There is a condition that policy makers assess the magnitude of based on systemic indicators or by focusing on a big event -Officials may learn about conditions through feedback about the operation of existing programs -Conditions vs problems >Conditions that violate important values become problems >Conditions become problems by comparisons with other countries or other relevant units >The classification of a condition into a certain category may define it as a problem (Ex: lack of public transportation for handicapped people can be classified as a transportation problem)

Pay-or-play

Employers decide to play by ACA rules or pay a penalty -Employers must offer "affordable medical coverage" plan -Higher monthly premium → more coverage in case of incident

Schneider & Ingram's typology

Explains different kinds of tools Authority: where the policy directs a part of gov't/official to get them to do something policy-related -Ex: policy directs military how to treat sexual orientation (Eisenhower desegregating the military & created "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy in military) Incentive: -Ex: policy establishes penalties for drunk driving/other behaviors -Disincentive ex: creating fines for those committing behaviors -Can be positive incentives like tax deductions Capacity: policies that try to build beneficiaries for policy -Policy provides info to help beneficiaries utilize the benefits -Ex: affordable care act, holding info sessions so people become aware of benefits (case workers), job training programs Symbolic: -Policy encourages behavior through internal motivations, such as public service campaign (ex: getting ppl to stop using plastic bags) -Different than incentives bc those are external & these rely on individual values to prime those values in order to motivate people > getting ppl to do the right thing bc they want to -Cheaper for gov't bc they don't have to enforce it bc ppl doing it independently Learning: -Policy requires research before proceeding -Ex: flint case that gathered research/info on the issue before

Feedback Theory

Feedback effects of policy -Policies carve out certain populations for benefits and some for burdens -Policy yields effets -Institutions and cultures form public opinions for social constructions -Allocations relies on groups political power AND if they are negative OR positively constructed within society -Crucial to understanding how democracy functions→ re-enforces believes we already have, rewards the positively constructed, denies the negative construction

Reaction of Flint Authority

Flint Authority repeatedly told the citizens that the water was fine and used "corrosion control" - when they did not When brown water was brought to board meetings, emergency manager and other officials called them liars. Officials hid and changed the water results and would slow test and flush to make lead levels go down. "This is not an emergency, the water is safe to drink" its legit brown

How a bill becomes a law

House members: -house members elected -435 members of house -house term 2 years -idea was that representatives will come to the house to represent their districts (geographic rep, not racial/gender rep) -tax bills start in the house Senate members: -senators used to be appointed -2 senators per state > may be raised -senate term 6 yrs -created to pull apart legislation In the House: -Bill introduced -Committee action (bill is assigned to a committee) -bill assigned to a subcommittee -Reported by full committee -Rules committee action -Floor action (house debate, vote on passage) -Conference action: When both chambers (senate & house have conference committee to work out differences on similar related bills) Then goes back through the house: If the second house passes a different version the bill, members of both houses meet as a conference committee to work out disagreements. When finished, both floors vote on the new bill. It may be approved by a majority vote or rejected. -President approves: Can either sign it into law, veto it, or if does nothing, bill automatically passes in 10 days If president vetoes, bill can return to congress/can override vetow ⅔ majority in both houses In Senate: Bill introduced Committee action Referred to subcommittee Reported by full committee Floor action (senate debate, vote on passage) Conference action Goes back to review in senate President -bill can die at any of the stages -committee chair with no time limits & open opinions: Lead to bill dying Too many opinions with lack of rules Committee chairs can set up a lot of outcomes Every committee chair in lead party

Origins of constructions: heuristic and biases

How do we collectively think of these groups - negatively or positively constructed and more or less power Where do these constructions come from and how do we use them: -"Availability heuristic" - decision making short-cut; judgments made on the basis of things that come easily to mind - based on society's believes or your own thoughts - just comes into mind as - not thinking deeply -Confirmatory bias - the tendency for people to pay attention to evidence that confirms their biases- much more likely to remember information that confirms our bias and forget info that doesn't -Affect heuristic - feelings of like or dislike guide judgments with litter deliberation or reasoning Use of constructions: -Policy-making dynamics: framing + reframing calculating opportunities and risks, exercising leadership, analyzing policy designs, copying designs -Policy makers respond to emotional judgment + reinforce them to their political advantage -Framing of policy is different -Tools that are chosen is different -Use particular tools for dependent/advantage/deviant groups

Group Theory/ Pluralism

Idea that policy is the product of group struggle -Policy= group struggles -Decisions made as a product of group behavior -In a pluralist society, people have varying unique interests which form interest groups -People are interested in certain policy areas but isn't the same for everyone, creating a plethora of interests > creating interest groups -If groups are equal size fighting an issue, elected officials generally would take a medium position/appeal to moderate positions -Makes room for everyone to get involved Interest groups: -More effective when people join groups -Engage in a policy struggle -Policy are product of group struggle >However, most politicians stay neutral to get as many groups to support them in re-election >Therefore, policy becomes less extreme >Room for everyone to get involved Disadvantages of Pluralism: -Moderation Incremental change >allows for stable policies overtime yet makes systemic/sweeping changes difficult -Assumes votes are national and you always have competing sides -Assumptions groups are of equal sizes -Distorts distinctive things politicians should care about bc they want to wage neutrality for votes -Poor people are negated from interest groups, mistrust of the system By a variety of groups, including: -citizen activist groups -political/economic elites -bureaucracy Policy formation dependent on: -specificity -social significance -temporal relevance -simplicity -categorical precedence

Communitarianism

In General: -Humans are products of their communities -Your success is dependent upon a group effort -Common good is more important than an individual's belief In Government: -Gov't = main institution for providing common good -Govt's role is broad and benevolent -Differs from libertarian bc they think gov't is bad but libertarians bc don't think as much abt a 'common good' -Gov't requires them to put aside ppl's individuals preferences for the benefit of the entire common good -Emphasis on the most just/right policies -Asks: what benefits society as a whole? & what type of society do we want to live in? -Market should be regulated - transactions must benefit society -"Moral govt." = govt. is seen as a good asset that helps achieve a moral society even if it means restricting rights In Public Policy: -Think: "Does the public school need more money to educate children?" vs "Do I want to pay more taxes?"

Social construction in policy-making (target populations)

Influences policy, agenda, and selection of policy tools Target Population - people who are linked to the policy, will either receive the benefits or burdens: -Social construction of target groups = cultural characterizations/popular images of those affected by policy making >Public officials are pressured to make policy that benefits the positively constructed target groups -Elected officials make policy based on the target group's power to re-elect them and based on how others will perceive the way a policy affects a particular target group "Advantaged" = Strong and positive: -The elderly -Veterans -Scientists "Dependents" = Weak and positive: Women Children Disabled "Contenders" = Strong and negative: -The rich -Unions -Elites -Contenders = problematic because powerful but sad, still get beneficial policies and policy makers become secretive -Have some control "Deviants" = Weak and negative: -Criminals -Addicts -Communists -Gangs Policy Impacts of this social construction: -Benefits are given to advantaged populations, whereas dependents and deviants will not receive enough beneficial policy -Negatively constructed powerless groups will usually be proximate targets of punishment policy, and they will be burdened by policy, even if it is illogical -It is difficult for policymakers to put resources towards groups like children who have no political power -Policy makers use the socially constructed ideas of a group to rationalize policy -The agenda, tools, and rationales of policy impart messages to target populations that inform them of their status as citizens

State insurance exchanges

Insurance marketplace where the state provides the infrastructure, the website, and the customer support for individuals and small businesses to purchase state based plans -Can also go through private broker or directly through a company -healthcare.gov

Powers of the 3 branches

Legislative: make and pass law -made up of two houses -creates laws -power to declare war -senate approves treaties -approves budget -overrides vetos -can impeach president Executive: enforces laws -Enforces laws -commands miliary -president veto's -creates budget -cabinet (vp + 15 exec depts) -makes foreign policy Judicial: interperpates the laws -Can overturn unconstitutional laws -nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate -Interpret laws -settles state disputes -decides what is or isn't constitutional -settles legal disputes -no term limits -federalist 51 "in republican gov't, the legislative authority necessarily predominates"

Byrd Rule

Like a Filibuster for Reconciliation Process. If the reconciliation bill does not follow any of the rules of the Budget Act, a Senator may stop it with an objection; Can be overturned with 60 (out of 100) votes in the Senate. Prevents a reconciliation bill from containing non-budgetary provisions (that supporters might otherwise wish to have an easier path to passage). Under the Byrd Rule, a provision is considered extraneous if it: -Does not produce a change in outlays or revenues2 -Increases the deficit beyond the "budget window" -Makes changes to Social Security

Role of interest groups

Lobbying Money/donations Membership/constituents (Many groups = membership organizations) -ppl pay $ to be apart, given to officials special interest groups -usually has negative connotations -pluralism says its fine bc they're representing interests -groups that you typically disagree with, negative view of them NRA example: -was examined after Sandy Hook -common consensus was gun law change but there was no change -power of a minority > NRA passion

Policy Typologies

Looks at different types of policies being formed and their impact on policies

Eligibility for exchanges (under affordable care act)

Must live in US, be a US citizen (or lawfully present), not incarcerated, not on Medicare Benefits/solutions/plans for people based on income: Private marketplace health plans: Provide subsidies for low income families who didn't get it through their employers or aren't eligible in their state You may qualify for subsidies on exchanges: for lower premiums on a marketplace insurance plan depending on your yearly income (if its in a range and depends on state, as family size gets bigger, income threshhold changes) Lower premiums AND lower out-of-pocket costs for marketplace insurance Medicaid coverage: (bigger plan) If your state is expanding medicaid: you may qualify for medicaid coverage depending on yearly income

Affordable care act

New Patient's Bill of rights goes into effect: -Prohibits insurance companies from denying children based on pre-existing conditions (9/23/10) -Prohibs insurance companies from rescinding coverage (9/23/10) -Eliminates life-time limits on coverage (9/23/10) Other provisions: -Provides new insurance options to individuals who have been uninsured for at least 6 months due to a pre-existing condition (7/1/10) -Extends coverage to young adults up to age 26 (9/23/10) -Allows states to require insurance companies to justify premium increases etc 2014: -Prohibits discrimination due to pre-existing conditions or gender -Eliminates annual limits on coverage -Provides tax credits for ppl with incomes b/t 100-400% of poverty line (abt $43k for individual; $88k for family of 4 in 2010 dollars) -Establish insurance exchanges to cover those whose employers don't provide insurance -Expansion of Medicaid goes into effect: Most controversial aspect > individuals up to 133% of poverty line qualify, including adults w no children -Mandate goes into effect: 2018: the greater of: $695 per person or ⅖% of income for 2018 Upheld as constitutional by Supreme court in 2012

Timeline with dates of passing ACA

Nov 7 2009 - house passed health care bill Dec 24 2009- senate passed bill (60-39) March 21 2019 - house passed senate bill March 23 2010 - obama signed ACA

Single-payer health system

One method of financing of health services. One entity acts as an administrator of a single insurance pool. The entity collects all health fees (taxes or contributions) and pays all health costs for an entire population. The single entity can be an agency of the government or a government-run organization. Collects from all of the US→ then is dispersed -Created benefits -Employer provide healthcare

Punctuated Equilibrium

Pattern of evolution in which long stable periods are interrupted by brief periods of more rapid change. -The conservative nature of the national political system favors the status quo, so conflict or a significant effort necessary to make major change -No change overtime and then something happens to disrupt the status quo (that disruption is called punctuated equilibrium), followed by flat change followed by change again (cycle/chart) -American political systems are designed to resist change >Over time, this has led to long periods of stability interrupted by bursts of change >Occasional large leaps as issues enter and leave the agenda Causes: disaster, big event (Ex: 9/11 major change in policies right away and quickly) >policy making undergoes long periods of stasis (where no change occurs) >Policymaking occasionally makes large leaps as issues enter & leave the agenda >Policy images play a critical role in expanding issues beyond control of specialists/experts >"Theory focuses on interaction of pol. Institutions, interest mobilizations, & bounded rational decision making" (quote from reading) >Ex: vaccination coverage

Why Iron Triangle Happens

Policy Change is a function of 3 factors: Conditions for iron triangle (chaos and instability of these things) 1). Interaction of competing coalitions within policy subsystem -Lots of different coalitions within policy -The interaction between competing coalitions within a policy subsystem - each policy area is its own subsystem --Not every member of congress is gonna be engaged like every policy 2). Changes in external effect the subsystem -Shift in public opinion -Economy -Changes in political parties -changes external to the system - economic changes, shifts in public opinion, changes in parties 3). Effects of "stable system parameters" -Constitutional structures -Core beliefs -Who are the competing coalitions - actor based theory - actors are NAACP and southern congresspeople

Multiple streams theory

Policy making is a product of organizational anarchy -There is an interplay of 3 streams within policy institutions and processes: Problem Stream: -Indicators which are measurements that assess the scale of and change in the problem -Events bringing attention to the problem -Feedback which provides info on how the problem in being dealt with Policy Stream: -Constant flow of policy solutions -Policy hierarchy Politics Stream: -Political factors influencing an agenda -Such as national mood or current political climate

Advocacy coalition framework definition

Policy-making theory developed by Paul Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith that focuses on the "interactions of competing advocacy coalitions," particularly within a policy subsystem, such as agriculture, telecommunications, or environmental protection. Each coalition consists of policy actors from different public and private institutions and different levels of government that share a particular set of beliefs about the policies that government should promote.

Policy tools

Positive & negative & how they relate to social constructions Importance of policy tools: -The content of the ideas/policies themselves, far from being mere smokescreens or rationalizations, are integral parts of decision making in & around gov't -Per policy feedback theory, the tools affect behavior of target pops, public perceptions of the policies/target pops, & future policymaking Important assumption: Public policy almost always tries to get ppl to do something they might otherwise wouldn't do: -Ex: 2008 debate w Hillary Clinton vs. Obama on mandates for healthcare -Hillary said "without a mandate, ppl will opt out" vs. obama said "we don't need a mandate/don't need gov't for getting healthcare cuz more important to make healthcare more affordable due to main idea that its a problem that ppl can't afford it overall -Use of policy tools to get policy done > through negotiations Affect the behavior of target population, public perception, anad future policy making Authority: directs someone to act Incentive: includes penalties Capacity: provides info to help people use benefits Symbolic: encourages behavior using emotions-ish EX: PSA Learning: stalling process, "needs more research to implement yet"

framing/priming

Priming: how much time/ space is devoted to an issue Framing : certain ideals by officials to gain support from constituents -Involves spinning, storytelling etc. -The power to persuade individuals to example of framing/priming: language and image differences by race in the formation of how they frame terrorism Examples: -Framing poverty/welfare (depends on how stories/narratives are framed or what type of program the welfare is) -Framing terrorism (similar to how media frames welfare/poverty) Ex: OJ simpson image was darkened to make him look more menacing

Budget reconciliation

Process (budget reconciliation in 2009 before Affordable Care Act): Democrats passed a budget resolution giving them optioin of enacting health care reform through budget reconciliation Goal: it's a tool to make legislation easier to pass in the senate Biggest difference is that senate can't filibuster so it's a way of getting around that regular order Can only be used on budget legislation items Byrd rule: (why it wasn't used in 1993 and other times. It's a tool that was closed in Clinton yrs but open during affordable care act that was utilized as a back door for passing legislation): -Named after former senator from west virginia robert byrd -He established these rules for the senate -Essentially that if a bill is unrelated to revenue & spending, then it can't go through this process > prevented dems in 1993 from pushing budget bills through legislation -Byrd rule still exists but it's become slightly easier. In2009, it made it that revenue bills could go through Summer of discontent: -Congress members go back to their districts to hear how things are going from constituents -In august 2009, when they went back to districts, the people don't like the health care reform/are fearful. Reps heard abt it through protests, large get togethers of ppl yelling -What else was happening at the time: The tea party came about to organize that had protests > The tea party mobilization was critical for creating these fearful town meetings in creating more protests on the health subject

"Managed competition"

Quality + efficiency improves if (in a market controlled by the feds) independent groups have to compete for customers

Reaction of Flint citizens

Reacted slow at first, giving the city the benefit of the doubt. Then holding many town meetings = pissed, lots of local activism, Started buying mass amounts of bottled water → if could afford →unequal distribution of lead poisoned water Local churches, volunteers

Framing poverty (hw reading abt welfare)

Reading summary: -Overall argument: in democratic regimes, elites are responsive to the public's expressed preferences as revealed both through elections/in between elections, through polls & other gauges of public opinion -Perceptions of deservingness are one crucial component of public opinion on social policy, & cross-national research has demonstrated its importance to understanding citizens' opinions on different components of the welfare state -The "pictures in their heads" ppl use when developing opinions on politics, derive more often than no from indirect sources rather than personal observation & experience (prominent indirect sources = news media) -US media coverage of poverty & welfare disproportionally features blacks in pics accompanying stories -Many white Americans perceive welfare as a program that only benefits African Americans > sparks opposition -In good economic times, when poverty is more readily attributed to lack of effort, blacks are dramatically overrepresented, when in bad economic times, when a lowering tide strands many a ship, blacks are featured in much lower & whites much higher proportions -Picture choosing to be displayed in media (like of black welfare users) significantly affect public opinion -1 solution to breaking this cycle of perceptions of welfare policy by a deracialization of media coverage of welfare Depends on how stories/narratives are framed or what type of program the welfare is Less support for "welfare programs" vs support for "helping the poor" > shows the term welfare itself triggers negative responses: -White people generally hate welfare due to how it's framed by media -How media tends to depict welfare through images that depict people of color negatively (as lazy and not working aka doesn't deserve $ from gov't) -large welfare change 1966 > must be employed, searching, or training -time limits: when you change a policy you should see subsequent attitude shift Shows disproportionate amount of black people and white ppl on welfare in media: -Blacks = overrepresented through pics/narratives, less likely to show whites in images > sparks people's beliefs on poverty/welfare -Whites = not proportionally represented in images compared to the actual population of those on welfare

Executive orders

Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy. -cabinet: the leaders of the executive departments who also act as advisors to the president -orders: issued by the head of the executive branch to set up methods of enforcing laws -Congress and Federal courts can strike down executive orders that exceed the scope of the president's authority -Requires someone to take or stop taking action, alter a policy, change management practices or accept a delegation of authority -The New Deal: a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the US between 1933 and 1936 >Need for relief, reform and recover from the Great Depression Famous executive orders: -establishment of WPA -Japanese Internment -desegregating armed forces -affirmative action -establishment of dept of homeland security

Individual mandate (of ACA)

Requirement of the ACA that most citizens and legal residents of the United States have health insurance. People who do not have health insurance must obtain it or pay a penalty. -If every gets HC, premiums can be lowered and everyone can afford it

SNAP & commodities in farm bill

SNAP - supplemental nutrition assistance program (welfare)

Sequestration

Sequestration: -taking something away and locking it up for safekeeping during conflict (typically) -Often a way to make the senate agree: >Can slow economic growth >Intended to serve as incentive for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka the "Supercommittee") to come to a deal to cut $1.5 trillion over 10 years Example = when can't think of a way to cut deficit: cut federal spending by 10 percent from 2013 to 2021: -Congress is the only way programs (that require federal funding) can be changed→ CUTS: >Military spending: $42.7 billion or 7.5 percent. >Medicare: $11.1 billion from a 2 percent cut in payments to providers. In other words, they get reimbursed 98 percent of their submitted bills >Other Mandatory programs: $5.4 billion or 8 percent >Other non-defense discretionary programs: $26.1 billion, a 5.1 percent cut

History of Flint, Michigan

Single industry - same source of employment not directly but all related to car More than half the population left from its 1960 peak - between mechanization and technology Gm downsized and closed plants - ripple effect in the economy - all bussiness begin to close - buildings fall apart - Blight People move as they dont have work to find work - on a street with 12 houses 6 are left - Revenue sharing - state redistributes a portion of sales taxes to local governments - to redistribute tax money - pockets of low property values Michigan decided to use the money to plug holes in state budget - translating in a loss for flint of 55 million between 2002-2014 - states required to have a balanced budget - means they have to cut spendind or increase revenue - Biggest cost - water - paying too much for water - high water bills for the people and the city was paying high rates to get water from the great lakes - decided to treat own water Karegnodi Water Authority - building it up and would take 2 years - treatment plant infrastructure was there and made economic sense - it would save everyone money - get water from somewhere else while they built the authority Things go wrong: treating water from Flint river and the tests are coming back clear - how they treated it in the plants messed up the pipe - had a few different system in the past and some of the pipes didnt get fixed Lead is everywhere - dangerous! Cheap, plentiful and useful - concerns lead the people behind it to cover up the dangerousness of it -Flint's choice to switch water sources: Save money -- nothing wrong with the water Other notes: History of Flint Flourishing city, high per capita (1960's)→ GM closed → white flight, policy investment in suburbs pushes this Ripple effect of poverty GM basically ****ed them in the face Established big jobs, neighborhoods, expensive highway systems(tax dollars) and had to pay little to no taxes Started moving out of Flint slowly, suburbs grew, town abandoned with high taxes and a town that needed to home way more ppl than were there. Past segregation - housing segregation of African Americans who fled to flint to work at GM( American Dream) Couldn't buy houses in neighborhoods GM built for workers, forcing them into 2 overly populated neighborhoods with bad infrastructure → where the pipes were the worst during water crisis. Needed to raise revenue, reduce costs: decided to use an old treatment plant + river source > shipping it in, building one Treating H2O w/ too high levels of chlorine so tests came back good Not all pipes had been fixed, lead was in H2O Corrosion in pipes from the past

case study 2: Public Lands

Summary: -Federal gov't owns more than half the land in the west -Inevitable clashes btw conservatives, liberals, environmentalists, developers, westerners, Indian tribes etc -Obama signed bill into law that was a breakthrough for land development after the longest period of time without any new land additions, etc "Among the most important in decades to protect, preserve, and pass down our nation's most treasured landscapes to future generations" -Was a bipartisan bill that half the republican senators voted for -"It designated more than 2 million acres of wilderness and more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers, putting the land and water off limits for development" -In 2011, republicans had House majority & said there would be no new parks or wilderness areas unless they addressed the rights of property owners & communities to plan to do more w the land than preserve it -Democrats were focused on protection & didn't like the GOP emphasis on commercial use and property-owner rights -Hundreds of bills ended up piled on during the long pause on land & energy bills US owned land, any work must be first approved by Congress Loophole: Put in defense bill, military bills get passed quicker + high priority "Send the bacon home" - laws that will help one's state/district: -Similar to logrolling -This main type of public lands bill > reps support it in order to get $ for their own policy goals -The more people on board, more likely to pass but by putting something in the bill that's very specific to get legislatures to support it -Republicans support reducing public lands to use for other purposes (Expand grazing lands) -Defense bill passed: Loopholes: >military can use the public lands for their training > gave them incentive to support bill >institutional overlap Average case of policy making > legislators trading back & forth What cases say about our legislative process: -Stance that it's good: about sacrifices in order to gain -Stance that it's bad: retirements, ppl wanting to have legacies (need to get re-elected so not necessarily doing what they want to do) -It's possible to pass these bills without a lot of controversy > it's just how deals/bills are made & this shows it can be done under certain circumstances -Potential things to fix this structurally: term limits (for more windows of opportunity)

case study 3

Summary: -Pressure came from bipartisan changes to farm subsidy programs & other pressure came from food stamp battle that resulted in party "culture wars and a charged 2012 campaign-trail debate over government dependency" & a 2011 recession all sparked controversy over the national agriculture budget -biggest conflict that sparked massive change = food stamps/SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) - "largest single item in the federal agriculture budget" -bill made unusually substantial cuts in payments to farmers. In addition, geography--the traditional dividing line among farm-bill factions-- was overtaken by ideology" > Partisanship over food stamps -2014 farm bill was rare considering its "route to enactment" that did not happen in secret/no partisan gridlock & "was close to a textbook example of 'how a bill becomes a law Factors working against the farm bill compromise: -Demands from politically impatient Tea Party rebels -"Heavy press coverage of parts of the process" -A lot of involvement by top congressional figures -Pressure from agriculture sectors -"Senate personnel change that brought new demands from Southern farmers" Bill: -achieved savings by consolidating 23 programs into 13 - a plan that survived in its basic form right up through the 2014 compromise that was signed into law: reduction of $23 billion over 10 years, including $7 billion from food stamps; $4 billion from conservation programs; and $12 billion from commodity supports" How it ultimately passed: -Pressure for years with deadlines and media exposure -Relationships between important players

Fiscal federalism

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments. -Economic stability and just distribution of income can be done by federal government because of its flexibility in dealing with these problems -Federal government uses "carrots and sticks" method with states to achieve federal objectives -the model of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal government system for states -Carrot (reward) : federal $$ needed by the state, which come in the form of grants-in-aid. Example: Highway $$ in exchange for lowering the drinking age Louisiana was the last to do this -Sticks (punishment): Example: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 is one example of an unfunded mandate

Selective exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases. -Theory that refers to individuals' tendency to favor information which reinforces their pre-existing views while avoiding contradictory information -Aka cognitive dissonance

3 Strategies for solving value conflict

The strategies (If compromise isn't possible, author says theres a 3 alternatives to solve value conflict): -The alternatives allow room for actions that aren't just compromises, but actions that will still meet at a solution (things are changing constantly) > idea that consensus/umbrella protocol for solving problems isn't realistic 1). Cycling: -Temporarily limits goals considered to be relevant, emphasizing different goals at different times -May facilitate the invention of policies that are better on all dimensions by simplifying the task of policy design -Less overwhelming for policy designer to think of each goal sequentially -Danger of cycling: emphasizing value X over value Y may lead to accidentally looking into high levels of X and low levels of Y -Ex court cases: diff. Issues have expanded rights overtime through different court cases, like Miranda case etc 2). Firewalls: -Values separated institutionally, simplifies tasks (example - FBI and CIA have different responsibilities) > to balance each other out w oversight/checks on each other -Each institution simplifies its mandate and faces a simpler task - not to resolve the conflicts among values, but only to determine the best way to pursue each value in isolation -Ex: criminal justice: have different groups like cops that maintain law & order in society, judicial review (justice goal), lawmakers (policy change around criminality) -Ex: international Red Cross provide essential services/resources in war torn areas but don't choose sides & provide both necessities to both sides -Having those systems set up in diff. Institutions allows them to achieve their values 3). Casuistry: -Abandoning a big solution to a problem & zeroing in a specific problem -Often, values are intertwined -Decision-makers first come to general conclusions about the relative importance of each value -"Moral taxonomy" -Look at precedents of solving conflicts similar to the one you want to solve and take from that -Ex: courts setting precedents -Helps solve value conflicts by: small details can make a big difference in decisions in order to look at each case by itself > takes into context past decisions but allows room that each case is different from another so prioritizing values in that scenario rather than always prioritizing the same value -"Stare decisis" - Context of past precedent set w/understanding of different cases

Limits to forming policy

Time lags based on budget Political Restraint: -Political party/public support -3 yr political cycle, role of senate, system of federation -EX: an influential business (NRA) Our Federation: -Winning cooperation from public Economics: -Global Finance Markets, financial flow, overseas interest, international cycles

What made Obama push MA Model this in 2009?

When he took office, many of his advisors urged him not to take on Health care issue, US economy had been suffering > said prioritize economy over health care but he didn't agree Baucus white paper issued 8 days after election: -Baucus = senator from wyoming & a conservative democrat -The white paper = a report/plan abt health care > imprt bc it signaled to people that health care was the focus of the presidency Waxman replaced Dingell as Chairman of key committee in House: -Member of House & an impt key player (liberal & supporter of health care reform) America's Health Insurance Plans publicly announced support for universal coverage (with a mandate): -Interest group representing health insurance companies & supported universal health care with one condition of a mandate so that if they're going to cover everyone, want to make sure everyones buying it so prices will go down Obama's desire to do "big things" Democratic majorities in Congress: -Hard for reps to filibuster

Agenda setting

Why do problems rise to govt agendas or fade? -Gov can choose whether or not to address it -Conditions that highlighted a problem may chance -People may become accustomed to a condition or relabel a problem -Other items emerge and push highly placed items aside -There may be inevitable cycles of attention -Fads come and go Politics of Agenda setting: -Political events flow along according to their own dynamics and rules >Participants perceive swings in national mood, elections bring new administrations, interest groups press demands -Interest groups can block considerations of proposals or add elements of their liking Visible Participants: -Visible actors receive considerable press/media attention -Ex: President, high profile members of congress Hidden participants - specialists: -Includes academics, researchers, consultants, career bureaucrats, congressional staffers, and analysts -They create communities Coupling - A pressing problem demands attention and a policy proposal is coupled to the problem as its solution -3 parts: problems, policies, politics -Partial couplings along the way (⅔) but joining of all three increases the chance of being on agenda Windows - An open policy window is an opportunity for advocates to push their solutions or draw attention to a new problem -Open windows are small and scarce

Race to the Top

a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competitive grant created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education (under Obama) -Created the common core -Designed to encourage higher state standards, create new data systems, improve teacher effectiveness, increase college readiness, stimulate charter-school expansion and strengthen low-performing schools about fiscal federalism - federal gov't uses "carrots & sticks" > carrots=rewards, sticks=punishments (ex: changing drinking age in exchange for rebuilding highways) -about grants in aid, mandates

Regulatory authority

a public authority or government agency responsible for exercising autonomous authority over some area of human activity in a regulatory or supervisory capacity -presidents interpret law & direct bureaucracy in execution of laws -Agency established by a federal, state or provincial government -Established with power to enforce regulations regarding occupational health and safety -Implement and enforce laws enacted by legislatures

Public policy

an intentional course of action -Gov't does intentional actions (whether they act or don't etc) -With an end goal created & followed by a gov't institution or official For resolving an issue of public concern -"Policies are the manifestation of the country's values." 1) Intentional action 2) End goal created and monitored by gov't officials 3) Purpose to resolve issues viewed as "public concern"

Discretionary spending

budgets that we can actually change Ex: spending for transportation

Revenue sharing

form of federal monetary aid under which Congress gave a share of federal tax revenue, with virtually no restrictions, to the states, cities, counties, and townships

A Simpler typology (negatives/positive tools)

positive/benefit: -Services (ex: postal service) -Transfer payments (ex: social security) -Contracts (ex: Halliburton) -Tax deductions (mortgage interest deduction) -Subsidies (agricultural subsidies for corn) -Protection of rights (anti-discrimination laws) negative/punishment: -Regulation or law (drunk driving laws) -Fines (speeding tickets) -Taxes