Author Donald Lenihan, in Chapter one of his book, Rescuing Policy, describes how governmental bodies have shifted away from creating macro policy based on “big ideas” to a consumerism focused micro policy system. Specifically, this text provides three main reasons that caused this change. These reasons include the development of a complex stakeholder environment, the public demand for transparency and accountability, and the application of market-style methods of analyzing and researching for elections and understanding public opinion. As a result, this has changed governments from creating policy stemming from party values and “doing the right thing,” to becoming business-like and focused on winning votes. After completing this analysis, Lenihan then goes onto describe how policy will be created in the future. He paints an optimistic picture, where the government and the public work together in solving issues and mutually hold responsibility. However, despite Lenihan’s optimism, this critique argues against Lenihan’s hopeful future and argues form a more pragmatic depiction based on the evidence of current trends.
Primarily speaking, the main goal of Lenihan’s text is to explain why the traditional style of “big idea” policy was replaced with policy development based on the current competitive consumerist market-style approach. When giving an explanation for this change, Lenihan provides three main reasons. First, he states “we know live in a multi-stakeholder environment where real solutions often require high levels of collaboration across organizational boundaries.” (Lenihan, pg. 25, 2012) In other words, growing complexity has caused governments to no longer be able to govern by themselves and instead requires them to work t...
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...reality. Though certain individuals might disagree, Lenihan paints an almost too perfect picture of future politics. His belief that government officials and other stakeholders will eventually work together to develop shared plans of action and then implement them together seems idealistic. Furthermore, his depiction of a future where both the government and the public hold ownership and responsibility for issues and for solving them doesn’t follow along with current trends. Decreasing voter turnout, lack of government engagement directed towards the public, and a lack of public trust and responsibility all point towards a future without inter-collaboration and communication. Therefore, although this critique agrees with Lenihan’s analysis of the present, based on evidence from current realities, it also questions the plausibility of Lenihan’s future taking shape.
The current issues that have been created by the market have trapped our political system in a never-ending cycle that has no solution but remains salient. There is constant argument as to the right way to handle the market, the appropriate regulatory measures, and what steps should be taken to protect those that fail to be competitive in the market. As the ideological spectrum splits on the issue and refuses to come to a meaningful compromise, it gets trapped in the policy cycle and in turn traps the cycle. Other issues fail to be handled as officials drag the market into every issue area and forum as a tool to direct and control the discussion. Charles Lindblom sees this as an issue that any society that allows the market to control government will face from the outset of his work.
The case of water reform in Chile is an interesting one. First of all, it allows us to think about a situation where regulatory reforms face political decision-making through the outcome of proposed legislation. Secondly, the case doesn’t deal with lack of political commitment, but rather involves a situation where the government now faces an important question of passing a legislation that directly affects their households – the main question is not whether to privatize, but how to regulate what will be privatized. Finally, it shows us the importance of having a credible and independent regulatory framework in order to have effective reforms.
So we have looked at various different Political Ideologies that have developed in modern times however not one of them proves itself to be superior to another. They all have certain strength’s and weakness to be taken advantage of by all governments. It is best to understand that different political ideologies serve different purposes, and that governments must remain ideologically flexible depending on current national conditions.
Dickerson, Mark O., Flanagan, Thomas, and O‘Neill, Brenda. 2009. An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach, 8th ed. Toronto: Thompson- Nelson.
Policy-makers are not bound by citizen’s opinions ¬– unless it is a binding referenda – and yet public participation is said to help “reverse the growing democratic deficit, foster citizenship and community capacity, and promote responsive and effective policy decisions” (Woodford and Preston 346). These “improvements,” in practice, raises a larger question: should Members of Parliament be voting in accordance with party politics or those of their constituents? Since the effective inclusion of citizens opinions “requires that public administrators and policy makers be committed to genuinely considering [this] input in policy analysis and decision-making” (347). Without a commitment to the collective voice, citizens may not be any better off. This calls into question whether a decrease in voter turn out is associated with the lack of influence citizens feel they really have in policy-making and the larger Canadian picture.
In developing a policy people need to recognize a problem, the concern can be of natural disaster, unsafe workplace, or the cost of medical insurance; all these function as distressers to people. To take control of the problem, the society needs to recognize that the government can and should attain to the problem and solve the public’s concern (N.A., 2015). The policymaking process starts off with Policy Formulation Phase which consists of the critical first step in policymaking which is Agenda setting; this process describes the steps by which particular problems, possible solutions and political circumstances emerge (Longest, 2010). The problems as previously stated are society concerns of natural disaster, unsafe workplace, and the cost of medical insurance, to name a few. As a society initiates a problem, there should be a possible solution or alternative solutions to move the processes into Political Circumstances. In the process of a problem and a solution being finalized, it will not be sufficient en...
John Kingdon's policy stream model revolves around a particular policy or agenda. The policy once supported by a policy community becomes a public policy. At a macro level, the basis of Kingdon’s policy model is the description of what is happening in actual current policy development. This model has three separate streams, which represent a window into the politics of modelling policy at macro stages. The model holds that three separate streams - problem, policy, and political streams which all are interlinked, will come together at a decisive moment and then transform into a workable policy. ...
Katherine Bersch discusses in her article the ‘Merits of Problem-Solving over Powering’. The problem in this article raises questions as to “What reform processes result in effective and enduring improvements”. The problem is the issues that government corruption and inefficiency can be eliminated by replacing the powering technique and inefficient political leaders with problem-solving policy programs that prove to be a more beneficial. By differentiation, critical thinking causes strength. Unobtrusive, achievable upgrades don't depend on intense government officials or their political technocrats; they depend on experts with a profound comprehension of existing issues and their political setting. These experts experience issues and have enough
The first speaker, Jared, discussed how the government is not involved in our lives enough, and needs to do more for the people. One of his main points was that deregulation is becoming too common place within the policies of the government and the environment and society are suffering because of it. Without the government being in control, we are unable to regulate carbon emissions from businesses. There are hazardous ...
This essay argues that argumentation to promote policies which reduce government waste is futile as a conduit for actual change. Politicians will do what makes them survive in their profession, and if they do not they will be replaced by those who do. Advances in economic science have made it clear that well-functioning markets enhance welfare, yet many industries are protected by tariffs if not directly by money from the government, labour markets remain distorted in various ways, and rent control is still not uncommon. If improvements could come about through public debates, they would have done so by now.
One of the problems today is that America’s distrust for their leaders because they view them as ineffectual and removed. There is a need in America to democratize the public planning process and decision-making process. Many times projects, developments, and policy decisions are made without significant public input and participation. This often leads to m...
Each is substantial; taken together, they exemplify an intimidating encounter. There is no logical or political reason why that challenge should be unsurmountable, but if we fail to sufficiently distinguish or comprehend it and its mechanisms, the reform development will take longer and become more problematic, than actually necessary (Bruce, 2001; Priester, Kane, & Totten, 2005).
Policymaking is a political process which is affected by various social and economic factors (Hofferbert, 1974) and media systems play an integral role in shaping the social context in which policies are developed. Through the media, citizens learn how government policies will affect them, and governments gain feedback on their policies and programs. Media systems act as the primary channels between those who might want to influence policy and the policymakers '' controlling the scope of political discourse and regulating the flow of information. Textbook policymaking follows an orderly sequence where problems are identified, solutions devised, policies adopted, implemented, and lastly evaluated (Mazamanian & Sabatier, 1989). In reality, the policy process is more fluid, where policies are formed through the struggle of ideas of various advocacy coalitions (Sabatier, 1991) in what has been described as a policy primeval soup (Kingdon, 1995). The policies, on which the media focuses can, and often does, play an important part in determining the focal issues for policymakers.
Today’s policies are essential to the development of the people; servicing the needs and interest of the citizens. Policy change builds a greater society; these revolutions are sometimes forced by external conditions “outside events or “shocks” – such as a change of government, an economi...
This paper will begin by highlighting aspects of citizen participation showing the advantages and disadvantages it has on the policy process and discuss how citizen participation in the policy making pro...