Introduction to the Policy Process Chapter 1: What is Public Policy?

Summary

In this video, Tom Burkland, author and public policy professor, explains the concept of public policy. He defines public policy as what governments choose to do or not to do in response to problems. Burkland discusses five key elements common in definitions of public policy: addressing problems, made by governments, focused on public interest, goal-oriented, and implemented by public and private actors. He highlights that policies can involve action or inaction and can be expressed through laws, regulations, and other government decisions, as well as societal practices and discourse.

Takeaways

• 📖 Public policy is defined as what the government chooses to do or not to do.
• 🤔 Public policy typically responds to a problem, such as too much crime or not enough jobs.
• 🏛️ Policies are made by governments, not private entities like companies (e.g., Facebook).
• 🌍 Public policy is made in the public interest, aiming to benefit society at large.
• 🎯 Policies always have explicit or implicit goals, like improving health or equality.
• 🛠️ Both public and private actors are responsible for implementing policies.
• ✈️ Public policies can be demonstrated through regulatory requirements, like airline safety procedures.
• ⏸️ Policies can involve action or inaction—choosing not to do something is also a form of policy.
• 📜 Policy can take many forms, including laws, regulations, or even the lack of a decision.
• 💬 Policies are revealed not just in texts but also through practices, symbols, and the way we discuss them.

Q & A

What is the simple definition of public policy according to Tom Burkland?

Public policy is defined as what government chooses to do or not to do.

Why do people usually make policies?

Policies are usually made in response to a problem that people believe the government might provide a solution for.

Who typically makes public policies?

Public policies are made by governments, distinguishing them from policies made by private entities.

How does the concept of 'public interest' relate to public policy?

Public policies are made in the public interest, meaning they are intended to be beneficial for the public at large, even if they may affect some individuals more than others.

What are the goals of public policies?

Public policies have goals, which can be explicit or implicit, such as greater wealth, prosperity, health, or equality.

Who implements public policies?

Public policies are implemented by both public and private actors, such as government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Can public policy involve inaction by the government?

Yes, public policy can be an action taken by the government or a decision not to do something, such as the choice not to implement a universal healthcare system.

What does Tom Burkland consider his definition of policy?

Tom Burkland defines policy as a statement by government at any level of what it intends to do or not to do about a public problem.

How are policies revealed according to Snyder and Ingram?

Policies are revealed through text, practices, symbols, and discourses that define and deliver values, including goods and services, as well as regulations.

What are the different forms that policies can take?

Policies can take various forms such as constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, and can even be revealed through changes in behavior or discourse.

How can the way policies are discussed affect their perception?

The way policies are discussed, such as talking about welfare recipients or business subsidies, can create positively or negatively valued attributes and influence public perception.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Public Policy

Tom Burkland, author of 'An Introduction to the Policy Process' and professor at North Carolina State University, introduces the concept of public policy. He explains his simple definition of public policy as what government chooses to do or not to do. He also discusses alternative definitions from other scholars, highlighting common themes such as policy as a response to a problem, policies being made by governments, policies affecting the public, policies made in the public interest, policies having goals, and policies being implemented by both public and private actors. Burkland emphasizes that public policy can be both action and inaction, and it is a statement by the government about what it intends to do or not to do regarding a public problem.

05:02

📖 Forms and Expressions of Public Policy

This paragraph delves into the various forms public policy can take, such as constitutional provisions, laws, and regulations. It references Snyder and Ingram's view that policies are revealed through text, practices, symbols, and discourses that define and deliver values, including goods and services. The summary points out how policies are not only found in the text of laws but also in their implementation, the symbols used, and the discourse surrounding them. For example, the way people talk about welfare recipients can create negative values, while subsidies to businesses might be seen as positive for the economy. The paragraph suggests that policies can range from obvious constitutional changes to subtle behavioral shifts among professionals like police officers or teachers.

Keywords

💡Public Policy

Public Policy refers to the decisions made by a government regarding how to address societal issues. In the video, it is defined as what the government chooses to do or not to do. It is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for understanding how governments respond to problems and the interests they aim to serve.

💡Problem

A problem in the context of public policy is a societal issue that prompts the need for government intervention. The video mentions problems like crime, unemployment, and disease, which are perceived as issues that might require policy solutions.

💡Government

Government is the entity responsible for creating and implementing public policies. The video emphasizes that policies are made by governments, distinguishing public policies from those made by private entities like Facebook.

💡Public Interest

Public Interest is the concept that policies are made with the welfare of the entire community in mind. The video gives an example of raising taxes on the wealthy to fund services for everyone, suggesting that while it may affect some more than others, it is intended to benefit the public at large.

💡Goals

Goals in public policy refer to the intended outcomes or objectives that policies aim to achieve. The video mentions goals such as greater wealth, health, and equality, indicating that policies are designed to accomplish specific ends.

💡Implementation

Implementation is the process of putting public policies into action. The video explains that while policies may be made by the government, both public and private actors are often involved in their execution, such as airlines implementing safety regulations.

💡Inaction

Inaction is the concept that public policy can also be a decision by the government not to take action on an issue. The video uses the example of the lack of a universal healthcare system in the United States, illustrating a policy of inaction.

💡Regulation

Regulation is a type of public policy that sets rules and standards for certain activities. The video gives the example of airline safety regulations, which are implemented by airlines to ensure the public's safety.

💡Symbols

Symbols in the context of public policy refer to the visual or verbal cues that convey the values or messages associated with policies. The video mentions how the way people talk about welfare recipients can create negative attributes, showing how language and symbols can shape public perception.

💡Discourses

Discourses are the conversations and discussions surrounding public policies. The video suggests that the way policies are talked about can influence their reception and the values they are perceived to deliver, such as discussions around business subsidies being framed as positive for the economy.

💡Values

Values are the principles or standards that guide policy decisions and are reflected in the outcomes of those policies. The video discusses how policies deliver values, including goods, services, and regulations, which can be positively or negatively valued, such as the value placed on freedom of speech by the First Amendment.

Highlights

Tom Burkland introduces himself as the author of 'An Introduction to the Policy Process' and a professor at North Carolina State University.

He offers a simple definition of public policy as 'what government chooses to do or not to do'.

Burkland presents five different definitions of public policy from various scholars.

All definitions share the idea that policy is a response to a problem.

Policies are made by governments, a key feature in defining public policy.

Policies can affect the public but are not public policies unless made by the government.

Public policy is made in the public interest, often with broad benefits.

Policies have goals, such as greater wealth, health, or equality.

Policies are implemented by both public and private actors.

Policy can be action or inaction, including government decisions not to act.

Burkland's definition of policy is a statement by government of what it intends to do or not to do.

Policies can take various forms, such as constitutional provisions, laws, and regulations.

Policies are revealed through text, practices, symbols, and discourses.

The way policies are implemented and discussed can define and deliver values.

Policies can range from obvious constitutional changes to subtle behavioral shifts.

Burkland invites feedback from students and teachers and provides contact information.

Transcripts

hi i'm tom burkland author of an

introduction of the policy process and

professor of public policy

at north carolina state university i

hope you enjoy the book

and i hope you find these videos useful

in this video we'll describe what is

public policy

in my textbook i use a very simple

definition of this term

what government chooses to do or not to

do

but there are other ways to think about

the definition of public policy

and seeing what other scholars have done

to define the term

can help you understand better what it

is when we say we study public policy

here are five different definitions that

various scholars have used

to try to define the policy process

what do you think these definitions have

in common

study them for a second or of course you

can find this in the textbook

well these definitions all share some

ideas in common

the first of these ideas is policy

response to a problem

people don't usually make policies

unless they think that it's going to

solve some sort of a problem

the problem might be there's too much of

something too much crime too much

unemployment

too much disease or not enough of

something not enough jobs

people aren't making enough money

something like that but anytime

people perceive a problem for which

government might provide a solution

they'll propose a public policy the

policies are made by governments this is

a key feature

of these definitions of public policy uh

if

a policy isn't made by government it's

it's not really a public policy policies

can affect the public

policies like facebook's policies on

what sort of things can be posted

certainly have an influence on the

public but they're not public policies

in the same sense that policies pass the

government or public policies

of course government may want to pass a

public policy to regulate

facebook and that would be a public

policy

the third point is the policy is made in

the public interest

most people will make an appeal to the

public interest when they make public

policy what

i mean by this is that people think that

the policy is good for the public at

large

it may affect some people more than

others some people have to pay more

for a service or a thing but the

benefits would be broadly

distributed out amongst the entire

public so for example a proposal to

raise taxes on the very wealthy to

provide services for everybody

that would have an effect on on rich

people but it would benefit everybody

and that would be claimed to be in the

public interest so public policy

is made in the public interest the

fourth

idea these definitions share is that

policies have goals people are trying to

accomplish something

they're trying to accomplish some end

greater wealth greater prosperity

greater health

greater equality however that's defined

all public policy has either an explicit

or an

implicit goal policies are implemented

though

by public and private actors we make

public policies

say in the legislature maybe in

regulations

but we rely on both the public and

private organizations

to implement policies so a regulation of

a business for example

if you're on an airplane and they give

you the the talk about where the

emergency exits are

how to put on your life vest how to

evacuate in an emergency

that's a regulatory requirement of the

airlines in other words a safety idea

that is in public policy is implemented

by the airlines

in pursuit of the public interest which

of course is airline safety

the final definition that a lot of these

share

is that policy can be action or inaction

a public policy can be a decision by

government to do something

or a decision not to do something

and that's a really important thing to

keep in mind there's a lot of things

that government chooses not to do

or that our institutions choose not to

do

we don't have a universal health care

system in the united states for example

a choice has been made not to do that so

public policies

can be both what the government chooses

to do and not to do

so my definition of policy is a

statement by government of what it

intends to do

such as a law regulation ruling decision

order or a combination of these the lack

of such statements may be an implicit

statement of

policy not to do something in other

words if

you don't see a policy about something

the question would be

what did the government do when they

talked about

addressing that problem did they take a

vote and just decide not to do

anything about it that would be an

important question to understand

so a policy is is a statement by

government at whatever level

of what it intends to do or not to do

about a public problem

and those policies take all kinds of

forms such as constitutional provisions

the first amendment of the constitution

is a policy about freedom

of speech but then there's of course

there's laws

there's regulations and as snyder and

ingram say policies are revealed through

text

practices symbols and discourses that

define and deliver values including

goods and services as well as

regulations

income status or other positively or

negatively valued attributes

so what we mean by this is that policies

are revealed by

the text of laws but also the way laws

are

implemented the symbols people use as

they implement policies

the way we talk about policies the way

we talk about people on welfare for

example

uh delivers a value the way we sometimes

talk about people on welfare in a

negative way

um creates negatively valued attributes

around people that are on welfare for

example

whereas sometimes we talk about the

subsidies

given to businesses as being a positive

attribute something that's good for the

economy good for employment things like

that

so policies can be revealed in all sorts

of ways and later in the book

i'll describe a little bit more about

how policies can range from really

obvious ones like changes to the

constitution to really subtle ones like

the changes in the behavior of police

officers or teachers or things like that

thanks for watching this video as always

i really enjoy hearing from students and

teachers

about the book and about public policy

feel free to reach out to me

at tom tombrookland.com or visit my

website

tombrooklyn.com thanks again for

watching