What Policymakers and the Policy Process Are Really Like Chapter 11 © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Policymakers and the Policy Process Are Really Like

Chapter 11 Outline The Importance of Understanding How Policy Works © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Chapter 11 Outline The Importance of Understanding How Policy Works The Fundamentals of What Government Does and How It Is Structured What Policymakers Are Like What the Policymaking Institution Is Like The Enormity of Enacting Laws The Process by Which Lawmaking Occurs The Story of How an Idea Becomes a Law How the Culture of Policymaking Really Works

The Importance of Understanding How Policy Works © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 The Importance of Understanding How Policy Works Many citizens in a democracy do not recognize the power they have to make a difference. Many citizens in the United States today are frustrated, with only one quarter saying they can trust the government always or most of the time. Without citizen engagement, a democracy cannot respond to the people’s needs and it does not work as well as it could or should.

The Fundamentals of What Government Does and How It Is Structured © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 The Fundamentals of What Government Does and How It Is Structured Government is divided into three branches— executive, judicial, and legislative. The executive branch enforces the laws, the judicial resolves disputes, and the legislative taxes and spends. State legislatures typically have the power to levy taxes, pass the state budget, enact laws, provide oversight that the laws are being implemented, and approve cabinet and agency appointments.

The Fundamentals of What Government Does and How It Is Structured © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 The Fundamentals of What Government Does and How It Is Structured Policy is defined as a plan or course of action carried out through a law, rule, code, or other mechanism in the public or private sector. Policymakers are those who make policies or laws at the local, state, and national level; elected to represent and reflect the views of their constituents in public decision making and to weigh these views alongside local and national perspectives, popular opinion, and one’s own conscience. Policy administrators are county and state agency personnel and directors of nonprofit organizations who develop the practices and procedures that underlie policy and program implementation.

What Policymakers Are Like © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Policymakers Are Like

What Policymakers Are Like © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Policymakers Are Like Real life stories of policymakers with an unbending commitment to a purpose larger than self include: John Adams Andrew Johnson Theodore Roosevelt.

Real Life Stories of Those Who Work Closely with Policymakers © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Real Life Stories of Those Who Work Closely with Policymakers The longer researchers worked with policymakers, the more their negative stereotypes broke down. Those who know policymakers well are surprised at the cynicism of the press and the public. Overtime, researchers came to realize how hard it is to make policy and how many skills it takes to be an effective policymaker. The people who work closely with policymakers came to hold great respect, not only for those who make policy, but also for the policy process itself.

What the Policymaking Institution Is Like © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What the Policymaking Institution Is Like

The Enormity of Enacting Laws © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 The Enormity of Enacting Laws In Congress, over 10,000 bills are introduced every two years that have to be vetted and agreed upon by 100 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives. The job of a policymaker is a sifting and winnowing process that includes screening ideas, determining which are meritorious, and deciding whether to compromise or hold firm. Beyond their work at the capitol, policymakers are in constant demand from constituents in their district.

The Process by Which Lawmaking Occurs © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 The Process by Which Lawmaking Occurs The policy process is seldom straightforward, making it hard to capture in a flow chart. Factors that are hard to quantify often come into play, such as big money and support by outside groups. The common process by which a bill becomes a law: Bill Draft Committee Hearings Floor Debate in the First Chamber Floor Debate in the Second Chamber Executive Approval.

How the Culture of Policymaking Really Works © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 How the Culture of Policymaking Really Works Observation 1: Policymaking Is, in Fact, a Rational Process It would be a mistake to conclude that policymaking is not rationale because it is a nonlinear process guided by different premises that respond to dissimilar signals. Observation 2: Taking the Politics Out of Policymaking Is Not Possible, Nor Should It Be The way policy gets done in a democracy is through debate and compromise among diverse interests with divergent views. Observation 3: A Full-Time Opposition Shapes Policy Dynamics Few other institutions are structured to represent a large body of people, who regularly run for office, often with a full-time opposition struggling to beat or unseat them.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Summary This chapter introduces the lawmaking process and its structure—bill draft, committee hearings, floor debate in both houses, and executive approval; but the full extent of policymaking and the deliberation involved is difficult to distill in textbook form. Understanding the process by which government works highlights core characteristics of the policy culture that can help researchers and professionals cross the cultural divide with more success. Democracy depends on citizens being informed, engaged, and active in the political process.