Introduction:
The study of public policy or the actions of government can be approached in a number of ways. Major theoretical approaches to the study of public policy include rational model, elite model, group model and stage or process model. Each of these approaches focuses attention of politics that are more or less relevant to the study of public policy, depending upon what policy on policies are under discussion.
What is Model:
In general sense, a model is a simplified representation of some aspects of the real world. It may be an actual physical representation.
According to Oxford Dictionary, “Model means small scale representation or reproduction or design to be copied by person or things”
According to Thomas R. Dye, “Model is a simplified representation of a real life situation”
So we can say, model is a diagram or a road map of a real things.”
Public Policy Model:
The models we shall use in studying public policy are conceptual models. These are word models which try to-
1. Simplify and clarify our thinking about politics and public policy.
2. Identify important aspects of policy problems.
3. Help to communicate each others by focusing on essential features of political life.
4. Direct our efforts to better understand public policy by suggestion.
5. Suggest explanation for public policy and predict its consequences.
Over the years, a number of models have been developed to help us understand political life. Throughout this part we will try to explain this model which as follows.
1. Rational model.
2. Elite model.
3. Incremental model.
4. Institutional model.
Rational model: Rational is considered to be the yardstick of wisdom in policy making. Two fundamental assumptions are the heart of the model.
(a) Decision makers are purposive and goal oriented.
(b) Decision makers always wanted to achieve their goal in the most formed, analytic, through and efficient manner.
The rational precept emphasizes that policy maker is making a choice among policy alternatives on rational grounds. Rational policy making is “to choose the one best option”
To select a rational policy, policy makers must-
Know all the society’s values preferences and their relative weights.
Know all the policy alternatives available
Know all the consequences of each policy alternatives.
Calculate the ratio of achievement to sacrificed social values for each policy alternatives.
Select the most efficient policy alternatives.
The predictive capacity to foresee accurately the consequences of alternatives policy and the intelligence to calculate correctly to ratio of costs benefits.
Finally rational policy making requires a decision-making system that facilitates rationality in policy formation. A diagram of such a system is shown in below-
Figure: A rational model of a decision system.
Limitation:
1. To be agreed upon all societal values is impossible.
2. The many conflicting values cannot be compared or weighted.
3. Power and influence affect during consideration social values.
4. Lack of motivation to make decision on the basis of social goals to politicians because politicians are hunger after power, status and wining re-election.
5. Large investment in existing programs and policies prevent policy makers from reconsidering alternatives foreclosed by previous decision.
6. Collect information about the alternative and its consequences is not easy.
Elite Model: Elite is a group of people who play dominant role in their respective area because of having some unique qualities and characteristics.
Public policy making elite is use to mean a group of people who are able to act in an environment that is characterized by apathy information distortion and thereby govern a largely passive mass then normally we often say public policy reflects the demand of “the people” this may express the myth rather than the reality. Elite theory suggests that mass people are apathetic and in informed about public policy. This is the elite who actually shaper the mass opinion.
Features of Elite:
1. Elite belongs some unique qualities.
2. Mass people are apathetic.
3. Elite shape the opinion of mass but the masses can not shape the opinion of elite.
4. People is the termed as myth in policy making.
Why Elite shape opinion of mass people:
1. Elite belongs some unique qualities.
2. Elite share the common values that separate them form the masses.
3. They have higher income.
4. They have higher status.
5. They have network with bureaucrats.
6. They have net work with politicians.
Elite Model Figure: We can explain the elite model by a figure where policy flows downward from the elite level to mass level.
Figure : The Elite Model
Elite theory can be summarized briefly as follows-
1. Society is divided into the few parts who have power and the many who not.
2. Few people decide policy for mass people.
3. The movement of non elites to elite position must be slow and continuous to maintain stability and avoid revolution.
4. Elite shares consensus in behalf of the basic values of social system and the preservation of the system.
5. Public policy reflects values and information of elite not the demand of mass people.
Finally elites prefer incremental policy rather than revolutionary.
Limitations:
1. In this model public policies are frequently modified but seldom replaced.
2. Elite do not welfare of mass people. They carry the responsibilities of mass welfare.
3. Elitism contents that the masses have at best ownly and indirect influence over the decision making behaviour of elite. Example: Casting vote in election.
4. Elites manipulate the support of mass people through sharing common consensus about fundamental laws like constitutional government, majority rule freedom of speech, press, equal opportunities for all in every aspect of life.
Incremental Model:
Incrementalism views public policy as a continuation of past government activities with only incremental modification. Political scientist Charles F. Lindblom first presented the incremental model. According to him, decision makers do not annually review the whole range of existing and proposed policies, identify social goals, research the benefit and cost of alternative policies in achieving these goals, rank order preferences for each policy alternative in terms of the ratio of benefits to cost and then make a selection on the basis of all relevant information. The main focus of this model is “old wine in new bottle”
Figure: The incremental model
Why policy maker prefer incremental model:
1. Shortage of time, knowledge, non availability of fund and to invest all alternatives.
2. Legitimacy of previous policy.
3. Require huge investment shift to radical change.
4. Incremental helps in reducing conflict maintaining stability and preserving political system itself.
5. Finally, in the absence of any agreed upon social goals or values. It is easier for the government of a pluralist society to continue existing programs rather than to engage in overall policy planning toward specific social goals.
Limitations:
1. The theory fails to specify any boundaries for what structure an incremental change.
2. It becomes even more difficult to determine quantitative measurement an increment.
3. Relationship among power, conflict the process of choosing a policy alternative and the policy outcome.
Models of policy analysis:
System model for policy analysis:
The policy-making process has been regarded as a black box which converts the demands of the society into policies. Davis Easton in his Analysis of Political Systems argued that the political system was that part of the society engaged in the ‘authoritative allocation of values”
The study of public policy or the actions of government can be approached in a number of ways. Major theoretical approaches to the study of public policy include rational model, elite model, group model and stage or process model. Each of these approaches focuses attention of politics that are more or less relevant to the study of public policy, depending upon what policy on policies are under discussion.
What is Model:
In general sense, a model is a simplified representation of some aspects of the real world. It may be an actual physical representation.
According to Oxford Dictionary, “Model means small scale representation or reproduction or design to be copied by person or things”
According to Thomas R. Dye, “Model is a simplified representation of a real life situation”
So we can say, model is a diagram or a road map of a real things.”
Public Policy Model:
The models we shall use in studying public policy are conceptual models. These are word models which try to-
1. Simplify and clarify our thinking about politics and public policy.
2. Identify important aspects of policy problems.
3. Help to communicate each others by focusing on essential features of political life.
4. Direct our efforts to better understand public policy by suggestion.
5. Suggest explanation for public policy and predict its consequences.
Over the years, a number of models have been developed to help us understand political life. Throughout this part we will try to explain this model which as follows.
1. Rational model.
2. Elite model.
3. Incremental model.
4. Institutional model.
Rational model: Rational is considered to be the yardstick of wisdom in policy making. Two fundamental assumptions are the heart of the model.
(a) Decision makers are purposive and goal oriented.
(b) Decision makers always wanted to achieve their goal in the most formed, analytic, through and efficient manner.
The rational precept emphasizes that policy maker is making a choice among policy alternatives on rational grounds. Rational policy making is “to choose the one best option”
To select a rational policy, policy makers must-
Know all the society’s values preferences and their relative weights.
Know all the policy alternatives available
Know all the consequences of each policy alternatives.
Calculate the ratio of achievement to sacrificed social values for each policy alternatives.
Select the most efficient policy alternatives.
The predictive capacity to foresee accurately the consequences of alternatives policy and the intelligence to calculate correctly to ratio of costs benefits.
Finally rational policy making requires a decision-making system that facilitates rationality in policy formation. A diagram of such a system is shown in below-
Figure: A rational model of a decision system.
Limitation:
1. To be agreed upon all societal values is impossible.
2. The many conflicting values cannot be compared or weighted.
3. Power and influence affect during consideration social values.
4. Lack of motivation to make decision on the basis of social goals to politicians because politicians are hunger after power, status and wining re-election.
5. Large investment in existing programs and policies prevent policy makers from reconsidering alternatives foreclosed by previous decision.
6. Collect information about the alternative and its consequences is not easy.
Elite Model: Elite is a group of people who play dominant role in their respective area because of having some unique qualities and characteristics.
Public policy making elite is use to mean a group of people who are able to act in an environment that is characterized by apathy information distortion and thereby govern a largely passive mass then normally we often say public policy reflects the demand of “the people” this may express the myth rather than the reality. Elite theory suggests that mass people are apathetic and in informed about public policy. This is the elite who actually shaper the mass opinion.
Features of Elite:
1. Elite belongs some unique qualities.
2. Mass people are apathetic.
3. Elite shape the opinion of mass but the masses can not shape the opinion of elite.
4. People is the termed as myth in policy making.
Why Elite shape opinion of mass people:
1. Elite belongs some unique qualities.
2. Elite share the common values that separate them form the masses.
3. They have higher income.
4. They have higher status.
5. They have network with bureaucrats.
6. They have net work with politicians.
Elite Model Figure: We can explain the elite model by a figure where policy flows downward from the elite level to mass level.
Figure : The Elite Model
Elite theory can be summarized briefly as follows-
1. Society is divided into the few parts who have power and the many who not.
2. Few people decide policy for mass people.
3. The movement of non elites to elite position must be slow and continuous to maintain stability and avoid revolution.
4. Elite shares consensus in behalf of the basic values of social system and the preservation of the system.
5. Public policy reflects values and information of elite not the demand of mass people.
Finally elites prefer incremental policy rather than revolutionary.
Limitations:
1. In this model public policies are frequently modified but seldom replaced.
2. Elite do not welfare of mass people. They carry the responsibilities of mass welfare.
3. Elitism contents that the masses have at best ownly and indirect influence over the decision making behaviour of elite. Example: Casting vote in election.
4. Elites manipulate the support of mass people through sharing common consensus about fundamental laws like constitutional government, majority rule freedom of speech, press, equal opportunities for all in every aspect of life.
Incremental Model:
Incrementalism views public policy as a continuation of past government activities with only incremental modification. Political scientist Charles F. Lindblom first presented the incremental model. According to him, decision makers do not annually review the whole range of existing and proposed policies, identify social goals, research the benefit and cost of alternative policies in achieving these goals, rank order preferences for each policy alternative in terms of the ratio of benefits to cost and then make a selection on the basis of all relevant information. The main focus of this model is “old wine in new bottle”
Figure: The incremental model
Why policy maker prefer incremental model:
1. Shortage of time, knowledge, non availability of fund and to invest all alternatives.
2. Legitimacy of previous policy.
3. Require huge investment shift to radical change.
4. Incremental helps in reducing conflict maintaining stability and preserving political system itself.
5. Finally, in the absence of any agreed upon social goals or values. It is easier for the government of a pluralist society to continue existing programs rather than to engage in overall policy planning toward specific social goals.
Limitations:
1. The theory fails to specify any boundaries for what structure an incremental change.
2. It becomes even more difficult to determine quantitative measurement an increment.
3. Relationship among power, conflict the process of choosing a policy alternative and the policy outcome.
System Model:
The system model relies on concept of information theory (feedback, input, output) and treats the process as being essentially cyclical. The policy making process has been regarded as a black box, which converts the demands of the society into policies. Forces generated in the environment, which affect the political system, are viewed as inputs. Outputs of the political system are authoritative value allocations of the system, and these allocations constitute public policy. Demands occur when individuals or group, in response to real or perceived environmental conditions, act to affect public policy. Support is rendered when individuals or groups accept the outcome of elections, obey the laws, pay their taxes, and generally conform to policy decisions. Models of policy analysis:
System model for policy analysis:
The policy-making process has been regarded as a black box which converts the demands of the society into policies. Davis Easton in his Analysis of Political Systems argued that the political system was that part of the society engaged in the ‘authoritative allocation of values”
No comments:
Post a Comment