Consider: How do we know why government enacts the
policies it does?
The Last Word: Assignments 5-6 due Monday
AP Government and Politics
Chapter 16
 Marxist perspective
 perceive that government is dominated by capitalists
 “Government is the shadow cast by business over
society.”
 Elite perspective
 holds that government is dominated by a few top
leaders, but not just economic leaders, “MIC”
 The Bureaucratic view (Weber)
 holds that the government is dominated by appointed
officials.
Pluralism (+) and Hyper-pluralism (-)

What is “public policy”?
• The intentional course of action (or inaction) followed by
government in dealing with a problem or matter of concern.

Distributive:
• provide benefits to individuals, groups, communities or
corporations;
• Most common and least controversial
• Widely shared costs, more specific beneficiaries
 Student loans, farm subsidies

Regulatory:
• Limit choices in order to restrict or encourage behavior;
• More controversial
• Costs are narrowed, benefits are diffused

Redistributive:
• Transferring resources from one group to benefit another group
• Also controversial
 Obamacare may be one example

In order to understand who becomes involved in
policy formation, and why, and thus perhaps why a
certain policy is enacted, we need to examine the
costs and benefits of a particular policy
• We can ask, WHO BENEFITS, and to a lesser extent, WHO
PAYS, in order to find out how something became policy

Often, the perceptions of costs and benefits affect the
politics of a policy, rather than the actual
costs/benefits that will result
• Also, questions of whether it is legitimate for a certain group
or individual to bear the costs or receive the benefits merits
consideration as well.

The politics of policy is often a dispute over who will
benefit or pay for a program, and/or who ought to
benefit or pay for a program
Widely
Distributed
Costs
Concentrated
Costs
Widely
Distributed
Benefits
Majoritarian
politics
Entrepreneurial
politics
Concentrated
Benefits
(Distributive)
Client politics
Interest-group
politics
 Majoritarian politics
• Antitrust legislation – costs businesses but benefits
many in society by preventing unfair practices
 Interest group politics
• Union building vs. corporations attempts to prevent it
 Client politics
• Milk and sugar subsidies or tariffs, for example, benefit
the producers (small groups) in the US, while the cost is
borne out by a public which notices little and cares less
 Entrepreneurial politics
• Pure Food and Drug Act, safer and more fuel efficient
cars
• The Jungle

A Model of the Policy-making16.1
Process
Agenda Setting
 Deciding which issues to discuss
 Systemic vs. governmental
 Policy Formulation
 Crafting of proposed courses of
action
 Policy Adoption
 Approval of a policy proposal
 Policy Implementation
 Process of carrying out public
policies – methods:
 Authoritative, incentive, capacity,
hortatory
 Policy Evaluation
 Did policy achieve its goals?
FIGURE 16.1: What Are the Stages of the
Public Policy Process?
16.1
Consider:What is the federal government’s role with
regard to education, according to the Constitution?
"Yesterday was Earth Day. And today we went right back to throwing Jamba Juice
cups in the rainforest." –Jimmy Kimmel
"It's become clear to me that I've won television. You see, Jon, almost nine years ago I
promised to change the world and together, I did it." –Stephen Colbert, stopping by
The Daily Show to announce, in character, the real reason that he is ending his show
"Joe Biden said the U.S. will help Ukraine with financial aid as long as the leaders
tackle corruption. Because if anything stops corruption, it's bribing someone to stop
corruption." –Jimmy Fallon
"Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is running for re-election, and he's got a catchy campaign
slogan: 'Forget my first term. I was on crack.'" –David Letterman
"This weekend over 37,000 people went to Denver to participate in the 4th annual
Cannabis Cup. And they all made memories that would last a few minutes." –Seth
Meyers
The Last Word: Assignment 6 for tomorrow, 7-8 for Wed; MC
Test Friday
Health Policy Today
16.2
 “Entitlement program”–
 a type of "government program that provides individuals
with personal financial benefits to which an indefinite (but
usually rather large) number of potential beneficiaries have
a legal right...whenever they meet eligibility conditions that
are specified by the standing law that authorizes the
program.
 Medicare -
Created in 1965 - For people 65 and older
 Parts A-D
 Medicaid




Created in 1965 - For people poor and disabled
Must meet eligibility requirements - Low-income
National/state government - Fed block grants cover 50-75%
50 million Americans covered in 2010 - $400 billion
Expanded by ACA
Health Insurance in 2000s
16.2
 Perceived problem > Rising Costs
 Technology advances
 Americans living longer
 Health care per capita costs
 1970 $356 per capita
 2013 $9,349 per capita
 10 percent of Americans account for 63 percent of all
health care costs
 Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act
 Enacted in response to health care being placed on
the agenda – how?
 Most
significant health care legislation since
Medicare/Medicaid in 1965
• Very controversial as it moved through Congress and
after passage
 Goal:
• Reduce costs; try and get every American covered
 Provisions:
• Establish government-run exchanges
• Financed by fees and taxes
• Prevents denial of pre-existing conditions
• Expands Medicaid coverage – burden on states
• Requires purchase of health insurance or pay a tax

Role is not stated; states/localities carry the ball most
of the time – 10% of $1.5 trillion overall on Ed spent
by fed
• Exception would be when mandates are created or funding is
withheld

Cold War brought first real fed role in education
• NDEA - support for loans to college students, the improvement
of science, math, and foreign language instruction in
elementary and secondary schools, other aspects

60s/70s civil rights movements and war on poverty
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
 Largest federal education law ever passed; until NCLB
 Funding for aid to disadvantaged children
 Funds for professional development, materials, resources for
educational programs
 The government has reauthorized the act every five years since its
enactment.

Current efforts
• NCLB - The current reauthorization of ESEA
No Child Left Behind Act

16.3
Accountability
 Standardized tests, report cards, reorganization if schools fail

Flexibility
 Schools can tailor expenditures to meet their needs; use
federal money how they see fit.

Proven methods for quality outcomes
 Best practices, developed at national level

School Choice
 Vouchers for private or other public schools
 Charter schools
16
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SH
ARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Oconner_C
h16_Domestic_Policy_Seg6_v2.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamasdeal/view/