Chapter 9: Public Policy, Power, and Decision

How might a democratic country be viewed as falling under the elite theory of policymaking? (a) A small portion of the population dominates most decision making and enjoys a disproportionate share of the benefits of policy decisions made by the government. (b) The lower classes are able to vote in elections and therefore have a significant voice in society. (c) The person who inherits the presidency or throne holds all power in making policy. (d) The largest economic class shares its wealth voluntarily.

(A) A small portion of the population dominates most decision making and enjoys a disproportionate share of the benefits of policy decisions made by the government.

The pluralist approach is based on a(n) ______________________ view of society (a) Integrative (b) Coercive (c) Adaptive (d) Cooperative

(a) Integrative

Questions: Karl Marx considered the proletariat class to be those who owned little more than their __________. (a) Labor (b) economic fate (c) religious identity (d) personal possessions

(a) Labor

The elite, class, and pluralist approaches are each limited in the sense that __________. (a) no actual country or political system is likely to operate exactly like any of them (b) no public policies in democratic countries fall into these categories (c) they are rejected by most political theorists (d) they leave out economic considerations

(a) No actual country or political system is likely to operate exactly like any of them.

Robert Dahl and the term that he coined, polyarchy, are associated with which approach? (a) Pluralist (b) Marxist (c) Elite (d) class

(a) Pluralist

The pluralist approach to understanding public policy making focuses on the notion of the group, which is an aggregate of individuals who interact to pursue __________. (a) a common interest (b) their own particular interests (c) foreign interests (d) elite interests

(a) a common interest

When factory workers in Russia took to the streets to demand removal of the Tsarist autocracy in the lead-up to the Revolution of 1917, it was an example of __________ (a) class conflict (b) interstate conflict (c) political cooperation (d) policymaking

(a) class conflict

An assumption of deep social, political, and economic inequality is fundamental to which two approaches? (a) elite and class (b) Marxist and capitalist (c) elite and pluralist (d) class and pluralist

(a) elite and class

The elite, class, and pluralist approaches all attempt to __________ public policymaking. (a) explain (b) Avoid (c) Benefit (d) undermine

(a) explain

Questions: In the United States, debates about policy approaches have been most intense among those who study power at the __________ level of government. (a) local (b) State (c) national (d) International

(a) local

If a country has just implemented a new law to reform its education system, the next step in the policy process would be __________. (a) policy evaluation (b) problem definition (c) policy selection and enactment (d) problem identification

(a) policy evaluation

The elite and class approaches are based on a(n) __________ view of society. (a) Integrative (b) Coercive (c) Adaptive (d) cooperative

(b) Coercive

Robert Michels, Vilfredo Pareto, and Gaetano Mosca are all associated with which approach to policy making? (a) Class (b) Elite (c) Pluralist (d) anarchist

(b) Elite

Which philosophers argued that change and development can have negative effects—perhaps so negative that change is undesirable? (a) Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping (b) Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Sigmund Freud (c) Socrates, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke (d) Isaac Newton, Immanuel Kant, and Charles Darwin

(b) Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Sigmund Freud

In the elite approach, lower-level political officials and administrators are located within the __________. (a) mass (b) political understructure (c) proletariat (d) political elite

(b) Political Understructure

Each approach to understanding public policy making focuses on the interactions among aggregations of individuals who use the political system to __________. (a) strengthen its ability to regulate (b) pursue their own particular interests (c) challenge its legitimacy (d) work for the benefit of the public

(b) pursue their own particular interests

The concept of stratification refers to the basic existence of __________ in the distribution of values in society. (a) consistent uniformity (b) structured inequality (c) social justice (d) basic fairness

(b) structured inequality

In differentiating the class approach from other approaches to public policy, how is large-scale political change most likely to come about? (a) With free, fair, and open elections (b)through violent conflict (c) as a result of international pressure (d) because of the acquiescence of the lower classes

(b) through violent conflict

No actual country or political system is likely to operate exactly __________. (a) like a dictatorship (b) like a democracy (c) like any of the three major approaches that explain public policy making (d) according to the stages of the policymaking process

(c) like any of the three major approaches that explain public policy making

Pluralism explicitly rejects the notion that __________. (a) there is interaction among groups that pursue their own political interests (b) democratic systems have groups that are likely to win a disproportionate amount of the time (c) the government might have an ideological position and place greater emphasis on some objectives over others (d) a small group or a single class dominates the public policy process

(d) a small group or a single class dominates the public policy process

Imagine that a country takes steps to impose stricter environmental regulations. In this example, the environment is the __________ that is served by this public policy. (a) prescriptive element (b) policy process (c) framework (d) functional area

(d) functional area

Functions of Government under Pluralist Model

-Establish rules of the game for the group struggle. -Determine interests of competing groups and the levels of political resources mobilized by these groups. -Find a public policy that approximately balances the positions of all active groups. -Enact these balance points as public policy decisions. -Implement the resulting policy.

Pluralist theory assumptions

1) An individual's group memberships are multiple and non-overlapping. 2) Many different political resources influence those who make public policy decisions (as opposed to just class and elite status).

Different types of public policies

1) Distributive Policies 2) Redistributive Policies 3) Regulatory Policies 4) Extractive Policies 5) Symbolic Policies

Stages of the Public Policy Process

1) Problem Identification 2) Problem definition 3) Specification of alternative responses 4) Policy selection and enactment 5) Policy implementation 6) Policy evaluation 7) Policy continuation/modification/termination (based on evaluation)

Two models of Class Structure

1. Hierarchal 2. Overlapping Class Structure

Policymaking Process under the Pluralist Approach

1. Identify the key groups that have interests in decisions in the policy area. 2. On a continuum of possible policy outcomes, locate the preferred policy decision of each group. 3. Estimate the level of political resources each group employs to influence the decision regarding this policy (represented as a "weight" on the continuum, based on the total impact of the political resources that the group utilizes). 4. Establish the equilibrium point that balances the "weights" of the political resources mobilized by all groups. 5. Authorize the equilibrium point on the policy continuum as a public policy decision.

"Syndromes"/Conditions of Modernity

1. Openness to new experiences regarding both people and behavior. 2. A shift in allegiance from individuals in traditional authority structures (e.g., parents, religious leaders) to individuals representing modern institutions (e.g., government leaders). 3. Confidence in modern technologies (e.g., science, medicine) and a less fatalistic attitude about life. 4) Desire for social mobility for oneself and one's children. 5) Belief in the value of planning and punctuality. 6) Interest in local politics and community affairs. 7) Interest in news, especially national and international affairs.

political elite

A general term for those individuals who have relatively high levels of power, influence, interest, knowledge, and involvement in political life. It is the stratum of the population that does more of what there is to do (in the policy process) and gets more of what there is to get (in the allocation of values).

Functional area

A group of employees who specialize in a particular business function, such as marketing or finance.

According to the World Bank (2019), China's economic expansion averaged _____% per year since 1978, is the most rapid sustained growth in the history of any major economy.

According to the World Bank (2019), China's economic expansion averaged 10% per year since 1978, is the most rapid sustained growth in the history of any major economy.

According to the elite approach, the political world is characterized by __________________ ___________________.

According to the elite approach, the political world is characterized by political stratification.

What happened in 1991?

After overthrowing a military dictatorship that had attempted to undermine the clan identities, the competition for power and control among rival clans exploded into a civil war that has lasted for more than two chaotic, bloody decades.

Policy Evaluation

After some period of time (or never), new information is gathered to ascertain whether the policy has handled any of the anticipated impacts, whether conditions have changed, and whether any unintended effects of the policy must be considered.

Primitive Communism

All individuals jointly share control over any available productive resources.

Class Approach

An analytic explanation of the value allocation process (politics) based on a core notion of stratification - structured inequality in the distribution of key values in society

Public Policy

Any decision or action by a governmental authority that results in the allocation of something that is valued.

Overlapping Class Structure

Argues that the boundaries between classes are permeable, rather than distinct, there is more interdependence among classes, and some members of a "lower" class have as much political power or even more than those in the class above them. However, class domination continues to be the basic form of political and social relations.

Problem Definition

At attempt to explain why the problem exists, to define the causes of the problem, and to define desired outcomes.

How is the elite theory of policy making similar to the class theory?

Both view the political system as a set of structures that are subordinate to the dominant class.

Normative Position on Change

Change is generally a positive force in human society. Change is the mechanism of growth, development, and progress, all of which are assumed to increase knowledge, development, and progress, all of which are assumed to increase knowledge, extend control over the environment, and thus improve the human condition. Change is the result of the rejection of the status quo in favor of a preferred status.

Change is the result of the rejection of ______________-_____________________________.

Change is the result of the rejection of the rejection of the status quo in favor of a preferred status.

China's economic growth in 2019 slowed to its lowest level in nearly three decades (_____).

China's economic growth in 2019 slowed to its lowest level in nearly three decades (6.2%)

What are some problems China's economy should expect to face?

China's economy should expect to face heavy spending on the "old economy" of heavy manufacturing, particularly in the steel industry. Public spending on social programs has expanded substantially at both the local and central government levels. This could increase China's debt. Third, the property market has become so overheated that, while it has generated considerable growth in recent years, it also has bubble potential. The turbalance in the global social order including a major trade war between China and the US and recent changes in the Asian and European markets (e.g., Brexit), has led to a significant slowdown in China's expansive export market, as well as a reduction in domestic consumption.

The strata in the class approach are called _______?

Classes

Mosca

Concludes that political system are in two strata: the political class and the non political class.

Symbolic Policies

Confer honor or disrepute on certain actors (e.g., a medal awarded to a soldier for bravery).

Policy Selection

Decision makers study the alternatives, trying to access the possible costs and benefits from the options.

Karl Marx Class Theories

Differentiates class primarily on the basis of a group's relationship to the major factors of production in the eocnomic system.

Political Elite

Does more of what there is to do in the public policy process and gets more of what there is in valued imports from policy and decisions.

Why is Somalia a fragile state?

Due to the clan based conflicts.

Redistributive Policies

Explicitly transfer values from one group to another group (e.g., a policy that provides subsidized housing to those with limited financial resources)

Somalia has how many clans?

Four major clans

National Council

Governing body in Swaziland of the King's elite group of advisors that are hand chosen by him.

What did Hericlitus say about change?

Heraclitus viewed that change is in constant flux; change is in inevitable.

In the pluralist approach, competition is ______________.

In the pluralist approach, competition is fair.

Mapuche

Indigenous people of Chile

Regulatory Policies

Limit actions (e.g., a policy that prohibits a woman from having an abortion).

How do the Maasai on the Serengeti Plain in East Africa live?

Maasai on the Serengeti Plain in East Africa live in a manner similar to the ways of their ancestors 50 years ago. They continue to raise their cattle, ignoring the Kenya-Tanzania border and resisting the attempts of the Kenyan government to alter their long-standing cultural patterns of family and tribal life. But even the Maasai have been affected by the modernization surrounding them. It has brought health care and disease; money from tourists and reduced land for grazing herds; education and cultural confusion.

Improvement/Hardships under Mao Ze Dong

Mao's time in power was also wracked by chaos and conflict. Mao's policies led to more than 30 million state-caused deaths through brutal treatment of opponents, "permanent revolution" movements, and recurrent famines. Despite the turbulence of Mao's rule, this period also laid the foundations for economic development. Among the many important changes were the establishment of an effective central government; land reform; weakening of the rigid Confucian hierarchy of gender, age, and class; great improvements in health, education, and infrastructure; and the transformation from an agrarian society to an industrial nation.

Karl Marx on the process of development

Marx proposed a more complex typoogy in which most societies pass through six stages of development, each based on how its major productive resources are controlled. 1) Primitive Communism: All individuals jointly share control over any available productive resources. 2) Slavery 3) Feudalism 4) Capitalism 5) Socialism 6) Communism: All citizens blend into a single class that shares control of resources.

What does Mapuche mean?

People of the land

Pluralist theory argues that while money is one important resource that can influence the policy process, _______ one resource dominates.

Pluralist theory argues that while money is one important resource that can influence the policy process, no one resource dominates.

Specification of Alternatives

Policy analysts develop policy proposals that seem to respond to the problem, given the causes, the preferred outcome, and the likely obstacles. In addition, the resources necessary to implement each policy alternative are identified. The costs (e.g., financial, political, organizational) of each alternative policy must be estimated, as well at the level of expected benefits.

Political Understructure

Political officials and administrators who carry out the elite's policy directives.

Elite Approach

Politics is defined as the struggle of power to control policy. The policy world is characterized by political stratification.

Distributive Policies

Provides particular goods and services (e.g., the building and maintenance of streets and highways).

What did Chile ratify?

Ratified the United Nations Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (1989), which pledges to promote the rights of groups like the Mapuche.

Pluralist Social Scientists

Robert Dahl, David Truman

Describe the Political System in Swaziland

Run by the national Council, where all of the power is concentrated in the King and his elite group of advisors.

What have the Mapuche urged the Chilean government to do?

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the Mapuche have persistently urged the Chilean government to enact policies that respond to their claims regarding their land rights, the protection of their cultural identity, and their desire for greater political autonomy.

How is Somalia's history of selecting government leaders?

Somalia does not have a history of selecting its government leaders by a legitimate election that includes all of it's citizens.

What country has the highest level of corruption in the world?

Somalia has the highest level of corruption in the world.

Problem Identification

Some actor decides that a condition in the environment requires a public policy response.

Elite Theorists on Public Policy Process

Some members of the elite decide that a particular public policy decision is in the elite's interest. When there is general consensus among those members of the elite who are concerned about the decision, representatives of the elite instruct the relevant members of the understructure (the government) to perform the policymaking and policy-implementation activities that serve the elite's interests.

Extractive Policies

Take resources from some actors (e.g., a sales tax on purchases).

Summary of key challenges to development

Tension between traditional values and modern ones; the transition from a rural, agrarian society to an urban, industrial society; the transfer of social and political power from traditional elites to modernizing ones; and the convergence of geographic territory, nation-based identities, and state boundaries.

C. Wright Mills

The Power Elite: Concludes that power elite in U.S. society is composed of those who control society's most powerful institutions. 1. The "warlords" in the military establishment. 2. The "Corporation Chieftains" in the economic sector. 3. The "political directorate" in the top positions in the political system.

Policy Prescription

The act of putting political analysis and ideology into action as a public policy.

Class Conflict

The assumption that classes lower int he class system can increase their share of values only at the expense of the classes above them. Given the fundamental inequalities in the distribution of values, struggles between classes is inevitable.

Definition of Politics under Pluralist Approach

The interactions among groups that are pursuing their own political interests.

Policy Implementation

The policy is now interpreted and applied in specific contexts.

Modernization

The process of reforming political, military, economic, social, and cultural traditions in imitation of the early success of Western societies, often with regard for accommodating local traditions in non-Western societies.

Development

The processes through which certain key dimensions became more pronounced.

Mass

The stratum that does less and gets less.

Who are opposed to the Mapuche achieving more land?

There are some elites in Chile who are directly opposed to the Mapuche's land claims. In particular, the wealthy landowners and multinational logging interests that currently hold Mapuche lands have considerable influence with key elected political leaders in the executive and legislative branches and with senior appointed officials in the administration.

There is also more awareness of significant societal problems. These include China's severe environmental degradation, the issue of dealing with an _______________, and the rapid rise ____________________ ________________ __________________.

These include China's severe environmental degradation, the issue of dealing with an aging population, and the rapid rise of inequality in a political culture that has long celebrated greater equality.

4.5 Formula

This formula allocates the 275 seats in the lower house of the legislature in the following shares: for every 4.5 seats, each of the four major clans is given one seat and the minor clans are allocated a half seat. Thus, each major clan gets 61 seats and the minority clans share 31 seats. The actual selection of legislators is not carried out by the general electorate as in a democracy, but by about 14,000 voter-delegates who are selected by Somali elders from the clans.

The maintenance of public schools would be considered which type of public policy? a. Redistributive b. Regulatory c. Extractive d. Distributive

d. Distributive