Structure of Policy Change

Derek A Epp

ISBN 10: 022652972X / ISBN 13: 9780226529721

Published by University Of Chicago Press Mai 2018, 2018

About this Item

Neuware - Epp looks at how lawmakers and agencies figure out what policies to implement and how to develop them, and at whether particular approaches-responding to news events, or building long-term plans, for example-lead to better or worse outcomes.

Seller Inventory # 9780226529721

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Structure of Policy Change
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press Mai 2018
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 022652972X
• ISBN 13: 9780226529721
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 226W x 158H x 13D millimeters 226 millimeters width by 158 millimeters height by 13 millimeters depth
• Weight: 272 grams

About this title

Synopsis

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the Red Scare seized the American public. While President Eisenhower cautioned restraint, his hand was forced, and NASA’s budget had increased five thousand percent over its pre-Sputnik levels by the time President Kennedy proposed landing a man on the moon. Spending on the space race is in no way unique; Almost every policy area has its own Sputnik-type story, where waves of popular support for an idea (or disillusionment with a previous one) created new political priorities, resulting in dramatic changes to the budget or compelling agencies to respond quickly with little knowledge or preparation. Is this instability an inherent feature of the policy process, or is it possible for an agency to deal with problems in a way that insulates it from swings in public opinion and thus imposes some stability on the decision making process?
           
Derek A. Epp argues that some agencies can indeed do that and that instability is at least partially a function of poor institutional design. While it is inherently more challenging to maintain stability around complex problems like immigration or climate change, the deliberative process itself can affect the degree of stability around an issue. Epp looks at whether agencies follow a deliberative model for decision making, in which policies are developed by means of debate among a small group of policymakers, or a collective model, in which the opinions of many people are aggregated, as with the stock market. He argues that, in many instances, the collective model produces more informed and stable policy outcomes that can be adapted more readily to new information and changing public priorities.
 

About the Author

Derek A. Epp is assistant professor of political science in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.