Public Policy
Graded Discussion. 5.0 Points Possible. Aug 31, 2017 9:55 AM Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated. Public Policy Public policy is one way that society addresses social problems through the use of laws and regulations adopted by governments. In this discussion, review the American Sociological Association article Sociology and Public Policy and address the following: Consider and explain the following statement, “Public policy is both what government does and what it does not do” (Theodoulou & Kofinis, 2012). What determines whether a policy is enacted or not? Who holds the power and authority to create, enact and/or change public policy? What is the difference between public versus private concerns in relation to policy making and the government’s role in this process? Describe two ways that social science research helps to design good public policies. Why are social science research skills important for analyzing the impact of existing policies? Your initial post should be at least 300 words in length. Support your points with scholarly references, appropriate citations, and full references at the conclusion of your post. Cite your sources in APA format. Review several of your classmates’ posts, and then, provide a substantive response to at least two of your classmates by Day 7. What, if any, additional information would you add to their comments regarding public policy 13 Patricia Pieart Aug 30, 2017 10:57 AM Week One Discussion Public Policy “Public policy is both what the government does and does not do” (Theodoulou, 2012) means that the government can choose to play an active or inactive role in problem solving. Examples of active roles include establishing public policies like the Social Security program and building highways. Inactive roles include deciding not to go to war, not establishing Social Security, and never making plans to build highways (Theodoulou, 2012, section 1.1). There are several factors that affect whether a policy is enacted or not. Power, authority and legitimacy, representation, public interest, equality and justice, efficiency and effectiveness, human nature, needs and rights, politics, and who the issue addresses (public or private entities); these factors are multi-dimensional and influence the policy-making process. The institutional actors are responsible for law-making processes. Congress formally introduces, discusses, and negotiates legislative proposals. It defines problems, sets the agenda, formulates policy solutions, and assists in the adoption of a specific course (Theodoulou, 2012, section 2.2). The congressional staff, especially senior staff members, can be influential in the policy-making process. The President is the only national representative. “The president’s political power is relative to whether the issue deals with domestic or foreign policy” (Theodoulou, 2012, section 2.2). The Supreme Court is also an influential part of policy making. The court system assesses the constitutionality of policy actions; this was not the intent of the Constitution (Theodoulou, 2012, section 2.2). Public policy is concerned with government actions, legislation, and decisions making. Public policy defines issues, finds solutions, and adopts the new conditions. Private policy is not affected by government policy unless it encroaches on public sites. An example of this is religion. Religion is typically not mandated or controlled by the government unless it is encroaching on the public realm; this is defined by the separation of church and state. An example of public policy is Social Security and environmental policies. Sociologists should be active in politics because their experience and research can provide “useful policy advice at a time when the United States is wrestling with an economic crisis that has dire social consequences” (Beland, 2009). Social science research is important for analyzing existing policies because they have done the research to show the negative and positive consequences. They can offer changes that may work better to solve a specific problem. One way that sociologists assist in policy-making is understood from a historical standpoint. “Key founders of our discipline had clear policy objectives, and they played a central role in the policy debates of their time” (Beland, 2009). For example, Emile Durkheim wrote about education reform. Frances Fox Piven, Paul Starr, and William Julius Wilson have recently taken a stance in policy debates regarding gender, equality, race relations, taxes, and health care policy. Another way that sociologists assist in policy-making decisions is related to the growing interest in public sociology. Sociology has moved past the post-war era making it easier to combine the relationship between sociology and public policy. Sociologists are not limited to a partisan approach, so they can offer unique perspectives to combine with other disciplinary perspectives (Beland, 2009). References Beland, D. (2009, April). “Sociology and Public Policy (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.” Footnotes 37:4. Retrieved from: http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/apr09/asa-forum_0409.html. Theodoulou, S. Z., & Kofinis, C. (2012). The policy game: Understanding U.S. public policy making [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu. Stephen Guarino Aug 31, 2017 9:52 AM The government is suppose to protect society and their general public interests. Kofinis and Theodoulou (2012) explained that the interest of the public has to do with what is concentrated toward politics with public policy forms. Politicians argue about what is important and/or relevant for the people. However, sometimes government does not perform well enough for society. Hunger is not only a concern for Third World countries. Hunger affects people in the United States too. According to Feeding America, one in six adults and one in four children suffer with not getting enough nutritious foods. 49 million Americans are affected with food insecurity. Also, one in four adults do not have health insurance. 42 million people in the United States are facing hunger. 13 million are children and 5 million are senior citizens. The forms of power when making and changing public policy essentials are institutional and/or formal dealers. Punctilious players possess the stronger force of influence. The informal players use the process of legislature. Most of the power comes from the individuals who have the most influence. According to Lukes(1974) and Heywood(1994) power concerning public policy can be explained in three ways; the influence on decision making, who in society has or controls the political power to act, and who can persuade, change and shape thoughts, ideas and what is comprehended. In the issue of public versus private the actions of the government should be limited to exact attempts to correct the failure of a perfect market. In privately concerned issues the government does not play a role. This gives churches freedom. There is tension between public and private solutions, which would be the social security situation. In a democratic society justice is a fundamental value and can be either procedural or social. Procedural justice ensures that all people are treated fairly by law. Social justice is how human rights are incorporated in the common or average lives of people that make up a society. 11
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