Public Policy Public Policy Domestic Programs seek to
Public Policy
Public Policy • Domestic – Programs seek to improve the economy, social, and political conditions within a country • Foreign – Policies concern other nations, treaties, diplomacy, wars, defense, national security … • Policy label depends on its target, not its causes
I. Economic Policy • Revenue – taxes • Expenditures – Money spent
Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy • Fiscal Policy – Taxing and spending – Budget deficit or surplus, money spent on retirement, health care, education, military – Taxes come from tariffs, income taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes • Monetary Policy – Money supply issues – Interest rates, central banks, reserve rates, paper versus specie, bonds, currency issues, inflation or deflation, National debt – http: //www. usdebtclock. org/
• Nationalization vs. Privatization – Shock Therapy, Russia Development Policy • Infrastructure – Roads, bridges, RR, electricity, energy, and communications • Private Sector incentives – Subsidies, tax breaks, deregulation
Regulatory Policy • • • Rules and limits placed on business or individuals Set standards for products Require disclosures Anti-monopoly laws Environmental laws Energy laws – Iran’s nuclear energy program • Civil Rights laws – Women in Iran • Regulatory Capture
Trade Policy • Tariffs – Tax on imports • Quotas on imports – Sets limits on foreign products can buy • Free Trade Agreements – NAFTA
II. Social Welfare Policies • Programs that affect standard of living, not just for the poor • Includes education, healthcare, antipoverty, pensions
Old Age- Retirement • Many countries implemented around the Great Depression, WWII • Most give a state pension, a monthly payment • US called social security • Harder for MDCs with declining birthrates and longer life spans • One Child Rule in China is putting pressure on this system
Health Care Policy • Costs are going up, especially with aging populations • Often little access in rural areas • UK- Beveridge report after WWII, government health care created • National Health Service (NHS) • Free, universal health care
US Ranks Behind 25 Other Countries in Infant Mortality • U. S. infant mortality rate is more than double that of some other developed countries • Florida: 6. 1, Volusia 4. 25, Holmes County 16
Antipoverty Policies • • Programs to help the poor Redistributive of wealth in a society Often comes from progressive taxation PROGRESA in Mexico
Education Policy • Issues 1. Degree of centralization 2. Level of opportunities made available to the general population 3. Higher Education’s admittance policies and access issues 4. Does the system indoctrinate its citizens in political ideas, like Communist doctrine in the former Soviet Union
Identity-Related Policies • Citizenship – Naturalization – Dual citizenship • Immigration – Who is allowed to visit and for how long? • Integration – Affirmative Action
Policy Making • Bureaucracies implement • Mix of legislatures and executives create policy • Elections alert politicians that policies are not working • Referendums can be a public input on an issue • In some nations, parties disagree with the nature of the level of government involvement in the economy and societal issues
“Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all. ” – Edmund Burke (Irish statesman) PART SIX: PUBLIC POLICY
Public Policy • Decisions the govt makes to address issues Inputs: and solve problems Interest Articulation Interest Aggregation Machines are the political institutions: Legislature, Executive, Bureaucracy Outputs/ Outcomes: Gears=Policy Making Policy Implementation
Public Policy • • • Common issues: Economic Performance Social Welfare Civil Liberties Environment
Public Policy – Economic Performance • Common Measures of Economic Performance – Gross Domestic Product (GDP) • All the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding income earned outside country • GDP per Capita: GDP divided by population of country – Gross National Product (GNP) • GDP + income citizens earned outside the country • GNP per Capita: GNP divided by population of country – Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) • Like GNP, except it takes into account what people can buy using their income in local economy • PPP per Capita: PPP divided by population of country
Example of PPP: the Big Mac Index • http: //www. economist. com/content/big-macindex
Purchasing Power Parity
Public Policy – Social Welfare • • Health Employment Family assistance Education • Measures of Social Welfare – Literacy rates – Distribution of income – Life expectancy – Education levels
Public Policy – Social Welfare Gini Index • A mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society • 0 = perfect equality, 1= complete inequality U. S. (2009) . 41 UK . 36 Russia . 375 Iran . 383 China . 415 Nigeria . 43 Mexico . 48
Public Policy – Social Welfare Human Development Index (HDI) • Measures the well-being of a country’s people by factoring in life expectancy (health), mean & expected years of school (education) and GNP per capita (living standards) • Health + Education + Living Standards = HDI Index Scale • Index scale is 0 – 1 (decimal score) • Scores over. 80 = high levels of HD • Scores under. 50 = low levels of HD
Public Policy – Social Welfare
Human Development Index Darker colors indicate more developed
Public Policy • Civil Liberties: Political Rights and Freedoms – Political rights – promotion of equality – Political freedoms – promotion of freedom – Freedom House Rankings • Ranks countries on 1 to 7 scale • 1 = most free, 7 = least free Country (2013) Rating Political Rights Civil Liberties China Not Free 7 6 Iran Not Free 6 6 Mexico Partially 3 Free 3 Nigeria Partially 4 Free 4 Russia Not Free 6 5 UK Free 1 1 US Free 1 1
Public Policy - Other • Environment – European countries – formation of “green” parities – International conferences • Population – Immigration + migration • Other – Terrorism – Corruption
Gap Minder Activity
Answers- Public Policy Drive for 5 1. D 2. A 3. A
Answers- Public Policy Drive for 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. D A A B A D A
Answers- Public Policy Drive for 5 1. D 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. E 10. B 11. D 12. B
Answers- Public Policy Drive for 5 1. D 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. E 10. B 11. D 12. B 13. A 14. B 15. C
Answers- Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. B A E C
Answers- Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. B A E C D C
Answers- Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. B A E C D C A, poor Question 8. D 9. B 10. E
Answers- Introduction 1. B 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. B 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. C
• Centrifugal (flee the center)-fragment • Centripetal (To seek the center)-unify • Gini Coeffecient- measures the amount of economic inequality in a nation, the lower the number the more equality, Sweden. 26, Mexico. 48
Answers- Introduction 1. B 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. B 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. C 16. A 17. C 18. E 19. D 20. B
Answers- Introduction 1. B 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. B 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. C 16. A 17. C 18. E 19. D 20. B
Answers- Introduction 1. B 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. B 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. C 16. A 17. C 18. E 19. D 20. B 21. C 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. E
Answers- Introduction 1. B 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. B 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. A 14. D 15. C 16. A 17. C 18. E 19. D 20. B 21. C 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. E 26. D 27. B 28. A 29. C 30. E
Secretary Kristi or Claire
- Slides: 47