Understanding Public Policy
Season 1
by Jennifer Miller
Hello all; welcome to our Public Policy introduction to Economic Policy! Today's episode walks through both the basics of economic policy (fiscal policy and monetary policy), the institutions that have been created to support economic development or avoid economic crashes (such as the FDIC and SEC), a bit more on the history of the problems that have led to these institutions, and data galore! We've got data on GDP, recessions, unemployment, inflation, and much much more! I hope this episode clarifies anything that you've got questions on but as always do email me at jemille1@wsc.edu and I will help you as best I can!
Hi there and welcome to the fifth episode on Understanding Public Policy! In this episode we will tackle the last two elements of the stages model: implementation and evaluation. Our discussion of implementation is going to start with the basic definition and a discussion of the bureaucracy but a lot of what we need to know about that part of the process are the challenges we face when trying to put something into action. So most of the episode will focus on those issues. At 30 minutes in, we will delve into evaluation and discuss what a logic model is, the types of evaluation (e.g. developmental, formative, etc.), and we'll wrap with a definition of policy analysis. Next time, it's on to substantive economic and tax policy!
Hi all, and welcome to our fifth episode on Public Policy! This episode is going to delve into the issues around policy legitimation, or in other words getting people to support the decisions we've made about how to address or resolve a problem. I'm certain that you've experienced this in real life... think about the last time someone convinced to eat at a place you weren't sure of. How did they do it? Well, this episode is all about how people either buy into government decisions (maybe because they trust government) or the processes we use to make those decisions. Focus on this chapter and episode on understanding what populism is and the difference between majoritarian and non-majoritarian... these items will be key for our upcoming exam!
Hello and welcome back for our fourth episode on understanding public policy! In this episode we will spend time talking about agenda-setting and policy formulation. Both of these terms are pretty technical but at the core what we are covering is how we get a problem on the list of things we need to work on and the ways we come up with plans to address the problem. There are quite a few "breakdowns" in this chapter for both of these topics and I'd ask you to focus on those as you read and work through this podcast. In addition, please take your time with key concepts like public goods, externalities, and the punctuated equilibrium model. Email me anytime at jemille1@wsc.edu with questions or concerns and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
Howdy all, and welcome to our third episode on US public policy! This week is a doozy as we are going to tackle what are known as the decision-making models. The models we'll be considering are basic explanations of how we make decisions on any topic... be that crime, or abortion, or healthcare, or environmental laws. This is a bit of a dense episode as it covers a total of 9 models in-depth, but I do hope that it serves to help you understand everything from constructivism to game theory to the public choice model. I'll ask you to engage with a critical thinking activity at the end so if you're not very familiar with the War on Drugs I would suggest taking a bit of time to research it so you can apply each model, I hope you enjoy the episode!
Hi all, and welcome to our second podcast episode on understanding public policy in the US! This episode is going to delve into a few key topics that shape policy--in essence, we are talking about the larger environment in which we make decisions about things like Social Security, gun control, or healthcare. Our focus will be on a few key topics: federalism, separation of powers (briefly), subgovernments, and the split between public and private (is it the government making the policies or private entities and individuals?). This episode will also focus on supplementing the chapter with data regarding how states have challenged the federal government, data on who works for government (and how that has changed over time), and what we spend money on at the national, state, and local levels. Enjoy and as always email me (jemille1@wsc.edu) with any questions you have!
Hello everyone and welcome to our podcast on Public Policy! In this first episode, we will get an introduction to this course and in particular to the course Canvas site. Some of the most critical tools you will need to navigate this class are the Weekly Roadmap pages which are discussed early on. We will spend about 15 minutes on that (and getting a brief introduction to the instructor) and then will delve into the first chapter materials from our text. Our focus is on general concepts like public policy, the "levels" of policy, policy "instruments", and the larger policy environment in the U.S. I'm very happy to have you joining this course and look forward to 'speaking' with you for the next several weeks!