Understanding the Concept of Public Policy (Notes)

What is Public Policy?

- A set of actions government decides to take when approaching a problem resolve or respond to
issue and challenges as a result, programs and projects are created
- A policy is a rule formulated by some government authority expressing an intention to influence
the behavior of citizens, individually or collectively, by use of positive and negative sanctions
(Lowi, 1985).
- Authoritative application of values for the whole society (David Easton)
- Whatever government chooses to do or not to do (Dye)
- A purposive cause of action followed by actor or set or set of actors in dealing with a problem or
matter of concern (Anderson).
- A patterned effect either to resolve or manage political disputes or to persuade rational
incentives to secure agreed upon rules of public issues capable of ranging from material goods
and ethical issues (Frohock)
- The study of government decisions and actions designed to deal with a matter of public concern
(Cochran and Malone).

- Woodrow Wilson – public policy includes government plans, instructions, decisions, and
symbolic systems
- Harold Lasswell & Abraham Kaplan – public policy as projected programs, program can be a
public policy, but not all public policies are programs
- Thomas R. Dye – public policy is whatever government’s choose do or choose not to do, he
focused on government’s action or inaction, public policy is result of government – (political)
“behavioralism “
- Robert Eyestone – public policy is the relationship between governmental organ and their
environment

Based on the definitions:

Government decisions, actions or inactions

To deal with issues or problems of the state

To be followed by individuals or groups to achieve specific objective or rational outcome

State power is used in public policy; public goal, state goal is only rhetoric

Legitimate coercion is the defining characteristic

Intent to influence citizens behavior by sanctions

 - It is a means through which government maintains order or addresses the needs of its citizens
through actions defined by its constitution.
- Public Policy is for people

Contextual basis of Public Policy (challenges and responses)

1. Political Context – liberal democracy (challenges: political dynasty, corruption; responses: anti-
political dynasty, anti-red tape)
2. Economic Context – market economy (challenges: low economic growth; responses: trade
policies, taxation, income distribution, development plan, PPP, SAP)
3. Social Context – demographics, social condition (4Ps, universal health care, k12, gender, labor)
4. Cultural Context – values, ethics, beliefs, traditions (arts and culture, heritage act)

Policy analysis – the interdisciplinary effort to help decision makers in making intelligent, ethical and
effective choices of issues and problem that can be included in the policy agenda. Quantitative and non-
quantitative methods

Types of Public Policies ( 1-3 Theodore J. Lowi)

1. Regulatory – restrictions and limitations on behavior

2. Distributive – costs of goods and services extends to entire population
3. Redistributive – allocation of wealth to other groups (taxation)

4. Self-regulatory – more controlled by the regulated group as a means of protecting or promoting

the interests of its members. (Robert Salisbury)
5. Constituent – rules of public servants (focused on government institutions and procedures)

Structural: structures, mandates

Functional: operations of government institutions

6. Procedural – pertain to conduct of government officials, elected or unelected, as well as

government staff in government agencies.
7. Substantive - the part of the law that creates, defines, and regulates rights, what the
government going to do. For example, preventing the retail of sale of liquor, constructing
highways, the law of contracts, torts, wills, and real property; the essential substance of
rights under law.

Activity: Of countless problems in the country that the policy makers can provide solutions to through
public policy, why some are given priority while others simply fade away?

Activity: Give specific examples of these polices that the national government has and discuss the
structures and functions
Nature / Characteristics of Public Policy

1. Purposive action
2. Consistent of patterns of actions
3. Government actually do
4. Based on law and it is authoritative
5. Cause of bargaining and compromise among policy makers and interest groups
6. Dynamic and changing (not forever)

Approaches to Public Policy

1. Cycle or Process-based Approach

- Policy making as phased behavior leading from stimulus to new adapted policy
- It comprises different models which includes:
a. Systems-model – policy as demand or support for the political system
b. Institutional model – policy as institutional output
c. Process model – policy as a political activity
d. Rational model - policy as a maximum social gain
e. Incremental model – policy as a variation on the past
2. Policy Actor-Based Approach (who makes the policy)
- focus is in on who controls or dominates the policy making process and who benefits from it
It comprises the following
a. Group theory – policy as equilibrium in the group struggle
b. Elite theory – policy as elite preference
c. Public choice theory - policy as collective decision making by self-interested individuals
d. Game theory – policy as rational choice in competitive situation
e. Sub-government model – policy as shaped by the “iron triangle (congressional apex,
administrative apex, and special interest apex)

Theories and Model of Public Policy

1. Elite theory
2. Group theory
3. Systems theory
4. Institutional theory
5. Incremental
6. Bounded Rationality Model
7. Garbage can model
8. Multiple streams model

Who are the actors of Public Policy?

Closely connected and intertwined

Official actors

1. Legislative / law-makers
 2. Executive / President
3. Judiciary

Unofficial actors:

1. Individual citizens
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. Media
5. Experts, scholars and researchers

Activitiy:As an individual how will you influence your leader to pay attention to the problem / issue you
are confronting / addressing?

Public policy as a study

- In US, the study started way back 1950’s

- In the Philippines, it started in UP 1970’s

Structural Contents:

Institutional Built-in systems of policy-making (structured)

NEDA – socioeconomic policies

NSC – National Security Council –security and defense policies

LEDAC – Legislative Executive Development Authority Council (general legislative agendum)

MMDA – Metro Manila Development Policy (services on local level services)

Policy Stream (Executive Branch Perspective)

1. Agenda Setting (consideration of performance, new developments, issues in local and

international economy
2. Policy Formulation (policy researches and analysis serves foundations in the process
3. Policy Legitimation (through MTPDP, SONA)
4. Policy Implementation (based from MTPDP)
5. Policy Evaluation (periodic feedback and monitoring mechanisms are done by NEDA)

Stages of Public Policy

1. Problem Identification and Agenda Setting (addresses issues and problems)

2. Policy Formulation (policy proposals are created)
3. Policy Adoption or Legitimization (accepting proposed solutions to problems)
4. Policy Implementation (application of authorized policy)
5. Policy Evaluation (effectiveness)

A program can be public policy, but not all policies are programs.
Importance of data for public policy process (public debate, researches, academe)
Data-driven policy making and not inventing data to make policy (alternative facts)