The Making of Domestic and Foreign Policy: Summing Up American Government in Black and White Chapter 16

Introduction to Policy Making Domestic policy: Laws, regulations, and programs that directly affect people living in the United States Economic and fiscal concerns, infrastructure, civil rights, civil liberties, criminal law, education, housing, and health care Foreign policy: Law, regulations, and programs that affect the relations of the United States with other nations Diplomatic relations, international economics and trade, global health, human rights, defense, and national security

Agenda-Setting Agenda universe Systemic agenda Institutional agenda Decision agenda

Agenda-Setting Social movements, interest groups, and agenda setting These groups and movements place pressure on the political system to advance their policy agendas Protests Demonstrations Education

Agenda-Setting The media and agenda setting Content of media coverage Amount of media exposure The media can influence the policy positions that become a part of the policy agenda Genocide in Bosnia versus Rwanda See “Our Voices: President Obama’s 2009 Cairo Speech”

Policy Enactment Policy formulation Members of Congress and their staff write bills Federal judges, along with their law clerks, write opinions Presidents and assistants craft executive orders Independent regulatory commissioners develop rules and regulations

Policy Enactment Policy formulation (cont.) The public attempts to influence policy formulation, although it does not have a great deal of power in the process Indirect: Political parties Direct: Administrative Procedures Act of 1946 Think tanks Sponsoring litigation and submitting briefs

Policy Enactment Policy adoption Process Legislature passes laws Executive signs laws and issues executive orders U.S. Supreme Court make decisions concerning laws This process requires a great deal of compromise Issues of race can influence policy adoption See “Evaluating Equality: Racial Prejudice and the Public Debate over the Adoption of Health Care Reform Policies”

Postenactment Stages Policy implementation Government officials must ensure that funds that have been allocated are spent Government officials must ensure that regulations set by Congress are enforced

Postenactment Stages Policy implementation (cont.) Executive: Can shape policy implementation by way it enforces laws Civil rights laws enforced less vigorously in the 1980s This branch is essential for implementing Supreme Court rulings Judiciary: Lower courts often implement Supreme Court rulings

Postenactment Stages Policy implementation (cont.) Policies are often written in a vague manner to help ensure that they are adopted This vague language allows for greater influence in the structure of policy during the implementation process

Postenactment Stages Policy evaluation Influenced by Governments Interest groups The public Evaluators have a great deal of discretion in establishing the goals of a policy (and thus how the policy is evaluated)

Composition of White State Prison Inmates in the United States by Offense Type

Composition of Black State Prison Inmates in the United States by Offense Type

Composition of Latino State Prison Inmates in the United States by Offense Type

Postenactment Stages Policy evaluation Congressional oversight This is a largely partisan process This process is less likely to take place under a unified government Interest groups Social media Evaluation can be biased in terms of race Blacks and Latinos disproportionately sanctioned when failing to meet Wisconsin welfare reform program benchmarks