Understanding Domestic Policy: Government Programs and Addressing National Issues, Lecture notes of Public Policy

Download Understanding Domestic Policy: Government Programs and Addressing National Issues and more Lecture notes Public Policy in PDF only on Docsity! Domestic Policy Objective In this lesson, you will Making Domestic Policy Domestic policy, also known as ____________ policy, describes government programs and actions aimed at addressing a nation's ______________ issues. • Public policy focuses on issues such as health care, __________________, public transportation, and environmental protection. As society changes, domestic policy plans must be _______________. For instance, consider how farming in the United States changed. A farm law from ________ probably wouldn't apply to US agriculture in _________. US politicians, citizens, and other groups continually ___________ how to best address current ______________ issues while also taking into account how the country will ____________ in the short term and in the long term. There are three main groups that political scientists and others argue account for public policy formation: • Elites direct policy over the masses because elites ___________ vast resources and wealth. • Bureaucrats, or government ______________, can use their political institution, experience, and power to direct public policy. • Interest groups and ______________ have gained increasing power to sway public officials. These interest groups, which include corporations and nonprofit organizations, represent a variety of views. Overview Document: 7 Steps of Policy-Making 1. Problem Recognition 2. Agenda _________________ 3. Policy Formulation 4. Policy Adoption 5. __________________ 6. Policy Implementation 7. Policy ____________________ Policy Implementation Important Domestic Policies The _________ and __________ of the US federal government has changed greatly since the end of the eighteenth century, leading to the federal government becoming more _____________ in domestic issues. Education In the mid- to late-nineteenth century, the federal and state governments became more active in making public education, especially higher education, more ______________ for students. • Local schools began to receive funds from local and state governments through ___________. • In 1862, Congress authorized the transfer of _____________ __________ to state governments to build more public colleges and universities. • After World War II, Congress passed the _____ _________ to provide returning veterans with the opportunity for a better education, helping send 1.5 million returning veterans to college. • In 2001, Congress passed the No Child ________ ___________ Act with broad support. The program required public schools to use more _________________ testing to track student achievements. If struggling schools were unable to raise scores, the federal government would have the ability to ________________ funding to those schools. There are four main methods for the government to apply a new policy (or enforce a law): 1. Authoritative techniques create stiff _____________, such as fines, for engaging in destructive or immoral behavior. For example, people can be severely punished, in the form of heavy __________ or even _______________, for drinking alcohol and driving. 2. Incentive techniques give citizens an individual _____________ for following a public policy that benefits society. An example is a state government providing _______ ____________ to citizens who insulate their homes to reduce energy use. 3. Capacity techniques are used when people want to follow public policy and improve society but lack the ____________ or _______________ to do so. Capacity techniques provide citizens with _____________ or education. 4. Hortatory techniques appeal to people's ____________ and _____________ to follow beneficial public policy. For example, a city might post anti-littering signs that urge people to protect nature.