public administration is all about this , who influences whome? In policy making.
As for public policy analysis many approaches are present:
1)SYSTEMS MODEL FOR POLICY ANALYSIS:
It says that the political system is that part of the
society, which is engaged in the authoritative allocation of values. Inputs are
seen as the physical, social, economic and political products of the environment.
They are received into the political system in the form of both demands and
supports. Demands are the claims made on the political system by individuals
and groups to alter some aspect(s) of public policy.
The supports of a political system consist of the rules, laws and customs that
provide a basis for the existence of a political community and the authorities.
Support is rendered when individuals or groups accept the decisions or laws.
Supports are the symbolic or material inputs of a system (for example, obeying
laws, paying taxes, or even respecting the national flag, etc.) that constitute the psychological and material resources of the system .
2)INSTITUTIONAL MODEL :
Institutional model focuses on the government as an institution for policy analysis.
It covers the realms of key government institutions – Parliament, Executive
(including government departments) and Judiciary. In other words, a policy
does not take the shape unless it is adopted and implemented by governmental
institutions. The government institutions endow public policy with three distinct
characteristics. Firstly, the government invests legal authority to policies.
Secondly, application of a public policy is universal. Only public policies extend
to all citizens in the state. Thirdly, public policy involves coercion. It is applied
to the acts of government in backing up its decisions. A policy conveys the
possibility for imposing penalties, through coercion, if necessary. Only the
government can legally impose negative sanctions on violators of its policies.
As such, there is a close tie-up between public policy and governmental
institutions. The institutional approach to public policy, which depends on the
interactions of those institutions created by the constitution, legislature or
government, has gained significance.
3) RATIONAL POLICY-MAKING MODEL: it's about taking the right decision, some of the probelms are thus given.
Dilemma of Political Feasibility: The dilemma of political feasibility also
confronts every policy maker. The best decision may not be politically
desirable. It may not be a vote-getter. Politicians too often resolve the dilemma
of political feasibility by avoidance of conflict, a safe bet for them. Uncertainty
about the consequences of different policy alternatives may also force
politicians to stick to previous policies. Elected officials do not want to
sacrifice their chances of re-election at the cost of rationality in policy-making.
v) Problem of Cost-Benefit Analysis: It is difficult for the policy-makers to
calculate the cost-benefit ratios accurately when many diverse social,
economic, political and cultural values are at stake. Apart from these, policy-
makers have personal needs, inhibitions and inadequacies, which render them
incapable of assessing all possible alternatives to arrive at a rational decision.
vi) Segmented Nature of Bureaucracy: Another important obstacle to rational
policy-making is what Thomas Dye refers to as the segmented nature of
policy-making in large bureaucracies, which “makes it difficult to coordinate
decision-making so that the input of all of the various specialists is brought
to bear at the point of decision.” Fragmentation of authority, satisfying
personal goals, conflicting values, limited technology, uncertainty about the
possible policy alternatives and consequences thereof, and other factors limit
the capacity of bureaucracies and other public organisations to make rational policies .
4)ELITE MODEL OF POLICY PROCESS:
In political science there is a widely shared view that the policy-making process
is dominated by the most powerful elites. Elite theory of the policy process is
based on the proposition that power is concentrated in the hands of a few elites.
Policy-making, according to the elite theory, is a process which works to the
advantage of these elites. The theory holds that in the real world there are those
at the top with power and others at the bottom - the mass - without power. The
theory also contends, that the elite whose members share common values and
have more money, education and power, governs the masses who are apathetic
and ill-informed about public policy. In an environment, which is characterised
by apathy and information distortion, elites influence mass opinion on policy
issues more than masses influence elite opinion. In this framework policy flows
downward from the elite to the mass. Thus, public policy is viewed as “the
preferences and values of governing elite”. Public officials and administrators
merely implement the policies decided on by the elites
This is how subject of public policy is generally analysed in any country be it democracy or non democratic.
@Tactical Doge
@Suryavanshi
