Public Policy

How do we "contextualize" Public Policy?

Administrative Items for Class

• Attendance

• Finish Signing up for Oral Presentations

• And Also Sign up for Policy Memo Group One (1) of Group Two (2) 

• Announcements?

• What is "New & Groovy in Public Policy?"

PUBLIC POLICY 

• What is it?

• What are its contexts?

• What is specific to policy making in America?

Definitions:

What is the "Public?"  What is the "Policy?" 

List some "publics" or "policies" from the web site articles you found on Tuesday. 

• The PUBLIC (S)

• __________

• _________

• __________

THE POLICY(IES)

• ____________

• ______________

• What Government does or does not do.

• Actions of government, and intentions determining those actions.

• Choices between goals and alternatives.

• Intentional course of action followed by a government institution or official for resolving some issue of public concern.

• A commitment of resources (laws, regulations, $$, organization, people, goods and services)

CONTEXTS OF PUBLIC POLICY

AN EXERCISE - You are a spider, floating along in the air on the end of your web.  Suddenly, a person runs into the web, and pulls you toward them.  Describe your experience, in terms of the spider...

(Robert Fulghum-All I needed to Learn I learned in Kindergarten)

What are some contexts?

• Institutional - Capitol Hill

• Ideological  

• Economic

• Demographic - "Rural America"

• Cultural

• Others? _____________?

FIND EXAMPLES OF EACH OF  THE CONTEXTS LISTED BELOW FROM YOUR READING 

• Institutional

• Ideological  

• Economic

• Demographic

• Cultural

• Others?

How would you describe the main examples/types/categories of "sub-contexts" within each context?

Context - Compass Directions  Sub-Contexts - East, West, North, South

 TIME:  http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/index.html?cnn=yes#

USA TODAY:  http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/news/gra/wtc2002/flash.htm 

MSNBC:  http://www.msnbc.com/modules/theweekinpictures/2001_archive/2001_0913.asp?0wp=n1&year=2001&num=152