1. POAD8014: PUBLIC POLICY UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC POLICY Lionel Orchard

2. Definitions of Policy Hecloa course of action or inaction rather than specific decisions or actions Eastona web of decisions or actions that allocate values Jenkinsa set of interrelated decisions concerning the selection of goals and the means of achieving them within a specified situation Smith deliberate choice of action or inaction rather than the effects of interrelating forces Source: Hill, 2013 2

3. Purposes of Public Policy As Althaus, Bridgman & Davis summarise: A means to ensure that politicians make a difference; An instrument for the exercise of effective governance; and The means to direct public resources in some ways but not in others. Context: Public policy ‘is the outcome of the competition between ideas, interests and ideologies’ 3

4. Foundations of Policy Making 1. Policy as Authoritative Choice Amid chaos and complexity of rival interests and ideas, and in the context of the legacy of past policy-decisions, policy-making entails the exercise of power by governments - policy decisions are authoritative because they are made by those with legitimate power in our system of government. 2. Policy as Hypothesis Policies are built on theories about the world and models of cause and effect. They must make assumptions about behaviour and they contain incentives that encourage one behaviour over another, or disincentives to discourage particular actions. 3.Policy as Objective The policy process must help decision-makers clarify their objectives. 4

5. Institutions & Public Policy Three institutional contexts for policy: Markets – Individual Choice, Incentives & Prices Bureaucracy – Rules, Hierarchy & Authority Networks – Community, Social Norms, Values & Affiliations 5