pptx textbook: A Novel Approach to Politics

PUBLIC POLICIES:
WHAT WE PRODUCE

Week 5

This week
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We will look at:
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economics and economic policy
social policy
international policy

To do this we still consider:
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The Policymaking process
Case studies

Policymaking
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What prompts the governments to
create new policies?
Who gets what, when and how?

4 Stages of Policymaking
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Agenda Setting
Policy Formulation
Adoption
Implementation

Agenda Setting & Problem
Recognition
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Something causing distress or dissatisfaction
Something gov’t can deal with
Something that can be put on national policy agenda
Polluted air
Unsafe work places
Healthcare

List of Topics which government gives its attention to
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Problem identification
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Constantly shifting of priorities
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No one group dominant

How determine Agenda
1. Personal interest of Legislators
2. Indicators
Any type of measurement
Cause Congress to see problem as meaningful
Usually some increase in a measure
unemployment
inflation
death rate
crime rate

How determine Agenda
3. Any focusing event of crisis
whether or not think event is important
terrorist attack
air line crashes
Oil crisis – prices/supply/spills
4. Symbols – attach idea to symbol
Communism
Individual Freedom
Big Government
Fairness

POLICY FORMULATION
“INCUBATION”
Development of alternatives for what should
be done policy statements
1. Collection, analysis, and dissemination of
information
Hearings
Policy experts/reports

POLICY FORMULATION
“INCUBATION”
2. Development of Policy Alternatives
Course of action
Political & technical considerations
Discussion/explore solutions
3. Advocacy of Supported Alternatives
Appropriate and acceptable
4. Formal Decision – refine solutions

POLICY ADOPTION AND
LEGITIMIZATION
Approval of Proposal
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Law whose time has come – Policy window
Provisions passed by act of Congress
Legal Force
Signed by President (Symbolic Acts)
Gain popular acceptance – viewed as
right and duly adopted
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POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
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left up to Bureaucracy – put into effect – not
self executing
Delegation – Broad Guidelines
Rules and Standards
Enforcement
Oversight and Evaluation
Feedback

CHARACTERISTICS
A. Principles
Decide what to adopt
Recognize
get Congress to do something
solution – have to meet principle
1. Value Acceptability – values of America
2. Technological Feasibility
show solution – solve problem?
program will work
have to rely on experts
3. Meets Budget Constraints – AFFORDABLE?

B. Localities/Localism
practical politics
choose solution most local benefits – CONSTITUENT NEEDS
based on assessment of local benefits – cost/benefits
1. General cost & benefits – where locality can’t be determined
• Medical research
• National defense
2. Weigh particular benefits to localities
show number of Senators that locality will benefit
pieces all made in different districts
3. Cost and Benefits to different groups
affects groups – Congressmen interested
Teachers, laborers, real estate agents

DOMESTIC POLICY MAKING
1. Distributive
Tangible benefits to private groups and individuals
Subsidies
largess of gov’t to narrow sectors of community
Farming
Research
Transportation
Construction
Dams, Roads, Bridges
Academic research grants

DOMESTIC POLICY MAKING
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Best when tax revenue expanding
Strong impulse in Congress

John Ensign (R-NV)
“I hate the idea of pork, but it there’s a pot of
money, I want to make sure that Nevada gets its
fair share”

2. Redistributive
REALLOCATION OF GOODS OR FREEDOMS
AMONG CLASSES
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visible shift resources from one to another
groups
Most difficult of all politics
Controversial
IDEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS
Liberal v. Conservative
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Socioeconomic divisive issues
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Have and Have nots
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Class conflicts

Redistributive – examples
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Redistribution of wealth
Income tax/Tax Reform
Welfare/food stamps,
SSI
Civil rights
Affirmative Action
Busing
Homelessness
Aid to education

3. Regulatory
Protect public interests from harm or abuse by regulating
the delivery of certain services
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TV Broadcasting, Air Travel, Consumer Rights,
Environment
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Narrow Interests
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direct choice who will be indulged and who deprived
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zero sum game
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Rules of Conduct
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Congress withdraws from game – leave to bureaucracy

International Politics
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Realism is both historically and
conceptually the predominant perspective
on International Politics.
In part, this is because war is what we
notice about international politics.
Most of international politics is actually
about cooperation: trade, travel,
communication, environmental regulation,
and the like.

Terms
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Balance of power refers to the way the
distribution of power internationally
influences the pattern of alliances that
form.
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Alliance formation driven by the fear that the
more powerful side might be pursuing gains

Bandwagoning refers to allying with a
stronger power to gain favor or to share in
spoils.

Terms
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Constructivism is a communication
theory based on the idea that the
construction of the “other” is a
predominant influence on international
decision making and action.
Marxism argues that imperialism and
colonialism extend capitalist exploitation
into the international context.

Case Studies
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Example 1 – Healthcare Policy

Example 1 – Healthcare policy
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Policymaking
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Problems are clear
Solutions are not in short supply

Healthcare Policy
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15% Americans lack health insurance
Every other major industrialized nation has
universal health care
16% of Gross National Product on health
care costs.
Proportion higher than any other
advanced nation

Healthcare Policy
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US citizens remain comparatively
unhealthy
Life expectancy behind 24 other countries
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Men 75
Women 80

Health issues
Quality of healthcare system ranks low

Problem of the Uninsured
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4 times likely not to see a doctor
More likely to miss health screenings &
check ups
Extensive and expensive care later
because of early care delay
Free care pools – cost to working

Who are the uninsured?
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People with limited or no access to
employee sponsored coverage
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Low income
Part time/seasonal
Single Childless adults
Young Adults
Children

Issues surrounding the Legislation
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Government Sponsored?
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Public Option
Opt out?

Cost/Coverage
Uninsured/Underinsured
Pre-existing Conditions
Health Savings Accounts/Private
Insurance
Short term vs. Long term benefits/Savings

Health Care Reform 2009-2010
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November 7, 2009 – House passes bill
December 24 2009 – Senate passes(own)
bill
March 21st House passes Senate version
(219-212)
March 22nd President signs bill

Health Care Reform 2009-2010
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March 25th – Senate passes reconciliation
package (56-43)
March 25th House passes reconciliation
package (220-207)
President signs reconciliation

Actors
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President & Executive Branch
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Left Details to Congress
Speeches – Power to Persuade/Arm Twisting
Healthcare Summit

The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act
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Uninsured
Insured
Immediate effects

THE UNINSURED
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Federal penalty starting in 2014
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$695, or 2 percent of income.

Families who fall below the income-tax
filing thresholds would not owe anything.
Nor would people who cannot find a policy
that costs less than 8 percent of their
income.

EXPANDED MEDICAID
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More lower-income individuals under the
age of 65 would be covered by Medicaid,
the federal health insurance plan for the
poor.
Under the new rules, households with
income up to 133 percent of the federal
poverty level, or about $29,327 for a family
of four, would be eligible.

EXCHANGES & SUBSIDIES
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Most other uninsured people would be
required to buy insurance through one of
the new state-run insurance exchanges.
People with incomes of more than 133
percent of the poverty level but less than
400 percent (that’s $29,327 to $88,200 for
a family of four) would be eligible for
premium subsidies through the
exchanges.

EXCHANGES & SUBSIDIES
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Premiums would also be capped at a
percentage of income, ranging from 3
percent of income to as much as 9.5
percent.

EMPLOYER COVERAGE
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People who receive coverage through
large employers would be unlikely to see
any drastic changes, nor should premiums
or coverage be affected.

CHANGES IN MEDICARE
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Medicare prescription drug program.
Unpopular “doughnut hole” — a big,
expensive gap in coverage that affects
millions — would be eliminated by 2020.
Starting immediately, consumers who hit
the gap would receive a $250 rebate.
In 2011, they would receive a 50 percent
discount on brand name drugs.

Employers 50+ workers
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Employers with 50 or more full-time
workers would pay a penalty if they do not
offer health benefits
$2,000 penalty for each full time worker in
the company, but exempts the first 30
employees while calculating the penalty.
For example, an employer with 53 workers
would pay the penalty for 23 workers, or
$46,000.

TAX ON HIGH-COST HEALTH
PLANS:
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Starting in 2018, 40 percent excise tax on
high-cost employer-sponsored group
health plans with premiums over $10,200
for individual coverage and $27,500 for
family
Beginning in 2020, the thresholds will rise
by the inflation rate.

MEDICARE PAYROLL TAX:
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an additional 3.8 percent tax on capital
gains, dividends, interest and other
“unearned income.”

Cost – Congressional Budget
Office
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The law will cost the government about
$938 billion over 10 years
Estimated that it will reduce the federal
deficit by $138 billion over a decade

INSURANCE MARKET REFORMS
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Insurers cannot place lifetime dollar limits
on policies, deny coverage to children
because of pre-existing conditions, and
cancel policies because someone gets
sick.
Parents are able to keep older kids on
their coverage up to age 26.

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A new high-risk pool will offer coverage to
uninsured people with medical problems
until 2014
Insurers are prohibited from denying
coverage to people with medical problems
or charging them more. Insurers cannot
charge women more.

Immediate
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Health insurers cannot deny coverage to
children with medical problems or
suddenly drop coverage for people who
become ill.
Insurers must allow children to stay on
their parents’ policies until they turn 26.

Your thoughts?
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Was this Distributive, Redistributive or
Regulatory?
The Supreme Court has upheld the Law
but some parts of the law have also been
challenged. Do you think the law should
be repealed?

Example 2 – Poverty
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In US
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35 million live in poverty
14%

World

3 billion people (1/2 the world) live on less than
$2.50 /day
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According to UNICEF, 26,500 – 30,000
children die each day due to poverty

Poverty
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The official poverty rate in the US in 2012 was 15.1%
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In 2012, 43.6 million people were in poverty
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up from 13.2 % in 2008.

up from 39.8 million in 2008

Race

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White

12.8%

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Black

27.6%

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Hispanic 25.3%

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Asian

12.2%

Causes of Poverty
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Stereotypical explanations
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The poor cause their own poverty
Live for moment
Self defeating behavior
Culture of poverty
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Feel negative, inferior, passive, hopeless &
powerless
Blame the poor

Causes of Poverty
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Minimum wages
Access to education
Flight of middle class from cities to
suburbs
Welfare system has been attacked

Effects of Poverty
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Children – Health Issues
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Infants – low birth weight
Miss school more often because of illness
Twice as likely to have impaired vision &
hearing
Levels of stress in the family
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Violence in family

Homelessness
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Extreme Poverty
Strong set of risk for families
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Less likely to receive proper nutrition or
immunizations

Greater life stress
Disruption in work, school, family
relationships & friendships

Government Programs
1. Income maintenance

4. Housing Assistance

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
General Assistance

5. Health

Social Security

Medicaid

Supplemental Security Income

Medicare

Unemployment Compensation

public health programs

2. Nutrition
food stamps
school breakfasts
school lunches
3. Social Services
community mental health
legal services
supportive Social Services
child day care
adoption
counseling
family planning

Your Thoughts?
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What should be done for people who live
below the poverty line?
How much should government do?
Other ways?

Example 3 – Capital Punishment
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70% of Country Supports
In 2013 there were 39 executions
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38 by lethal injection
1 by electrocution.

In 2012 – 43
3,033 inmates on Death Row

Death Penalty Stats for 2013
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In 2013, 39 inmates were executed:
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16 in Texas
7 in Florida
6 in Oklahoma
3 in Ohio
2 Arizona and Missouri
1 each in Virginia, Georgia and Alabama

Death Penalty Stats
Of the 8,032 people under sentence of
death between 1977 and 2012
16% had been executed,
6% died by causes other than execution,
40% received other dispositions.

Methods of Execution
Type

Lethal injection
Electrocution
Lethal gas
Hanging
Firing squad

# of States that allow

36
8
3
3
2

8th Amendment to the Constitution

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Excessive bail shall not be required, nor
excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted.

What is Cruel & Unusual Punishment?
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Punishment proportional to the offense?
Not arbitrary?
Restriction on government power
Humane?
Is Capital Punishment Cruel & Unusual
Punishment?

US Supreme Court Cases
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Furman v. Georgia (1972)
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Moratorium on the Death Penalty
Arbitrary & Capricious
States had to Revise

Gregg v. GA (1976)
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Limited application only to cases involving aggravated
murder
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Multiple, Serial, In Commission of another felony

2 Parts to Court Procedure

Guilt or Innocence

Recommend Death Penalty or not

Court Cases
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Coker v. GA (1977)
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Atkins v. VA (2002)
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Death Penalty cannot be used in cases of
rape
Societal consensus existed against execution
of mentally retarded prisoners

Roper v. Simmons (2005)
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Death Penalty cannot be used on offenders
under the age of 18

Arguments for Death Penalty?
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Brings emotional closure to pain &
suffering of families of victims
Prevents murderers from murdering again
Public Safety – no escapes
Deterrence
Biblical tradition of Eye for Eye

Arguments Against Death Penalty?
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Doesn’t reduce crime
Not a Deterrent
Is Expensive
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Reduces Public Safety
Arbitrary in its operation
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3 times the cost

Racial bias

Mistakes that are made are final

Your Thoughts?
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Do you agree with the Death Penalty?
Why or why not?

Example 4 – Gun Control

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200 million guns in private hands in US
50% of households contain at least 1 gun
In the last twenty-four years, an average
of 32,300 Americans died each year from
firearms

2nd Amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the
people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be
infringed.

Guns & Crime
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Firearms used
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in 67.1 % of the Nation’s murders,
In 42.6 % of robberies,
In 20.9 % of aggravated assaults.

Fighting Crime
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Guns represent something tangible that
can be controlled
Other countries
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Lower crime rates & tougher gun policies

Gun Control Policies
Policy made regarding these areas
Availability (where)
Use (hunting, recreation etc)
Distribution (who can get them)
Deadliness (type of gun)

Advocates for Guns
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Gun control will not solve the crime
problem
Gun control violates individual rights
Self Defense

National Rifle Association
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“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”
Aggressive lobbying/very powerful
Challenge any attempt to curtail right to
own & use weapons.
Ownership of guns is uncontrollable
“Slippery slope”

Opponents
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Gun availability
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School violence
Children access/desensitized
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Violence from TV, movies, video games

Gun use – instrumental act not intentional
Guns has changed victimization patterns
While Guns do not increase overall level of
crime, seem to increase the seriousness
of attack

Federal Gov’t
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Federal Gun Control Act of 1968
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Public outcry over assassinations
Emphasized restrictions on availability &
distribution of guns
Banned mail order sales
Outlawed sales to convicted felons, fugitives,
and individuals with certain mental illnesses
Restricted private ownership of automatic &
military weapons

Brady Law – 1993
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Background check
5 day “cooling off” period prior to
purchasing a gun

Finishing up on Gun Control
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Federal Gov’t – limited laws
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Left to the Courts and the States
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Federal Gun Control Act of 1968
Brady Law – 1993
Lobbyists
Elections
Court decisions frame the issue

Most Recent Case

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ET AL. v.
HELLER (2008)
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District of Columbia law banned handgun
possession by making it a crime to carry
an unregistered firearm and prohibiting the
registration of handguns
required residents to keep lawfully owned
firearms unloaded and dissembled or
bound by a trigger lock or similar device.

Supreme Court Opinion in Heller
The Second Amendment protects an
individual right to possess a firearm
unconnected with service in a militia, and to
use that arm for traditionally lawful
purposes, such as self-defense within the
home

Supreme Court Opinion in Heller
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The handgun ban and the trigger-lock
requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate
the Second Amendment.
The District’s total ban on handgun possession
in the home amounts to a prohibition on an
entire class of “arms” that Americans
overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of
self-defense.

Your Thoughts?
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How do we control guns?
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OR

Should we control guns?

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