Public policy
Introduction: Public policy is the principled guide to action taken by the administrative
executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law
and institutional customs. The foundation of public policy is composed of national
constitutional laws and regulations. Further substrates include both judicial interpretations
and regulations which are generally authorized by legislation.
Definitions:
Public policy is the authoritative allocation of values for the whole society (but it turns
out that only the government can “authoritatively” act on the “whole” society &
everything the government chooses to do or not to do results in allocation of values)
(David Easton)
A projected program of goals, values & practices (LASSWELL & KAPLAN)
It is essential for the policy concept that there should be “goal”, “objective” or “purpose”
(CARL FRIEDRICH)
Public policy must include all actions of govt. & not just stated intentions of govt. or
govt. officials (THOMAS R. DYE)
Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do
The principles, often unwritten, on which social laws are based. (oxford dictionary)
Explanation: there are three branches of the state.
Legislative Assembly: It defines the common interest of the nation and oversees
government’s implementation of its decisions.
Executive Power: It is the highest administrative authority. It prepares policies and
introduces them to the parliament for decision and their approval.
Judiciary: it interprets policies approved by legislative.
So it as a system of "courses of action, regulatory measures, laws, and funding priorities
concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its representatives. Public
policy is commonly embodied "in constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions."
What governments do
Government: A government is the system by which a state or community is governed. In other
words, a government more narrowly refers to the particular executive in control of a state at a
given time so
The group of people with the authority to govern a country or state; a particular
ministry in office.
The relation between a governed and a governing word.
Functions: (basic functions)
It is hardly possible to give a complete list of those functions which we called as government’s
functions. The following partial list, however, is given to describe its basic functions.
Regulate conflicts within the society: A government must control the people it seeks to
govern and protect. The government must maintain internal peace--i.e., peace among
individuals and groups within the society.
Organize society to carry on conflict with other society: sometimes government maintains
conflicts with other society in order to obtain common defense for example Pakistan and
Indian government maintain conflicting issues.
Distribute great variety of symbolic rewards & material services to members of the society:
Public goods and services are goods and services provided by government. They are goods and
services provided by public institutions, rather than by private institutions.
Extract money from society (taxes): Governments can and do tax citizens to raise money to
spend on goods and services which are expected to benefit all citizens.
Provision for regulation to Conduct of Elections: In a constitutional democratic society, a
vitally important constitutional duty of government is to (1) provide for free and meaningful
elections, held at frequent intervals to fill major public-policy decision making offices in the
government, and (2) regulate the conduct of these elections so as to ensure that they are
carried on fairly, honestly, and peacefully.
Protection of Civil Liberties: A most important function of government in a constitutional
democratic society is to protect civil liberties--i.e., preserve and safeguard the basic rights and
liberties guaranteed by the Constitution to the individual members of the society. It includes
(1) the right to free exercise of religion, (2) freedom of speech and press, (3) the right to hold
peaceful meetings and to organize, or associate, for peaceful purposes, (4) the right to petition
the government for a redress of grievances, (5) the right to equal protection of the laws, (6)
immunity from deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
Promotion of Economic Growth and Development: The central government of a modern
society seeks to facilitate and foster the growth and development of the nation's overall
economy
Social Insurance: In order to ensure the income security of citizens and thereby prevent future
poverty, contemporary governments in relatively wealthy societies provide for social
insurance--governmental-mandated insurance programs designed to protect the individual
members of society from economic misfortune.
Social Welfare: Social-welfare policy--also known as "public assistance," "public aid," and
"public welfare"--consists of government programs to provide assistance to the poor.
Conclusions: Besides resource allocation activities that are more efficiently performed using
the coercive government powers of taxation, spending, and regulatory authority than by
private sector market exchanges, the most noted activities are (1) common defense; (2)
education; (3) transportation; (4) public health and safety; (5) legal and judicial system; and (6)
money.
Types of political science (politics)
Political science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, nation,
government, and politics and policies of government. Aristotle defined it as the study of the
state.
Political Science is a branch of the larger area of social sciences and is different from natural
sciences. The various approaches to the study of Political Science can be broadly classified as -
traditional and modern. The traditional approaches include philosophical, historical and
institutional approaches while the modern approaches include behavioral approach, post-
behavioral approach, systems approach, structural-functional approach, communication
approach, etc.
Types of political science
behavioral
Traditional P.Science
philosophical psychological and fucntioning of interest
institutiona justification of constitutional social behavoir of groups
l structure governmement arrangements people
Traditional political science: in traditional political science, it dealt with:
Institutional structure of the government and their working as well. These institutions
are legislative, executive and judiciary.
Philosophical justification of government: it refers to the source of legitimate authority
for the state or government. Typically, a justification of the state explains why the state
should exist, and what a legitimate state should or should not be able to do.
Constitutional arrangements like:
o Federalism: Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members is bound
together by covenant with a governing representative head. Federalism is a system
based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared
between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a
federation.
o Separation of powers: separation of powers, division of the legislative, executive, and
judicial functions of government among separate and independent bodies.
o Judicial review: It is procedure by which a court can review an administrative action by a
public body and secure a declaration, order, or award.
o Power & duties of official bodies like president, PM, NA, senate, courts
Behavioral: Focuses attention on
process and behaviors associated with government, which involves study of:
Sociological and psychological bases of individual and group behavior: it
deals with the factors on which opinion of public about government is
based.
The determinants of voting and other political activities: it deals with the
voting will of people to elect their representatives.
Functioning of interest groups and political parties: it deals with the
functions and activities of political groups as well as other interest groups
like trade associations etc
Description of various processes
Behavior in the legislature, executive and judicial arenas
The behaviorists do not want to accept everything as granted. Therefore, they emphasize
testing and verifying everything. According to them, what cannot be verified is not scientific.
Present scenario
This approach basically described the process by which public policy is determined
Focus of political science is shifting to “public policy”
To the description and explanation of the causes and consequences of government
activity
The above involves:-
o Description of the content of public policy: to know that what are the content of public
policy?
Why we do what we do?
What are market and government condition?
Tools for analysis
And finally, making policy
o An assessment of the impact of the environmental forces on the content of public policy: to
evaluate the environmental forces (which includes ecological and environmental aspects
such as weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such
as tourism, farming, and insurance) and their effect on public policy.
o An analysis of the effect of various institutional arrangements & political process on public
policy: describes a framework to assess the impact of institutional arrangement and
contemporary political scenario on the process of public policy.
o An inquiry into the consequences of various public policies for the political system: to know
and judge the consequences or result of a policy in various sectors of the government.
o Evaluation of the impact of public policies: to assess the effect of public policy on society in
terms of both expected & unexpected consequences.
Wishful thinking is not sound public policy (Bjorn Lomborg)
There is a tremendous gap between public policy and public opinion (Noam Chomsky)
Actors and roles in public policy:
Technocrats- Knowledge
Bureaucrats- institution
Interest groups- Representation
Politician-Power
Donor-influence
