5: Political Power & Public Policy

Question 1

Mass Publics

Answer 1

Broad diffuse populations

Question 2

Organized groups interested in specific agencies

Answer 2

Attentive publics

Question 3

Management of public organizations is influenced by

Answer 3

Public opinion

Attitudes toward government in general as well as policies and agencies

Question 4

Who was called the teflon president?

Answer 4

Reagan

Question 5

Public opinion + close media scrutiny results in

Answer 5

Adversarial stance toward government

Increasing negative coverage

Gov’t operating in a “goldfish bowl”

Question 6

Well-being of public agencies is sometimes determined by

Answer 6

Support of organized groups

Can help defend agencies; well-organized, cohesive groups offer the best support.

Question 7

Special interest groups cause

Answer 7

fragmentation

Question 8

Interest groups play an important role in

Answer 8

Legislation–negotiation with these groups is critical.

Question 9

Who has formal, legal authority over public organizations?

Answer 9

Legislative bodies

Question 10

Legislative bodies do these 4 things:

Answer 10

1. control budgets
2. enact legislation
3. authorize and direct agency actions
4. oversee agency activities (hearings & investigations)

Question 11

Dorothy Olshfski wrote about this in 1990

Answer 11

Perceptions of politics

Question 12

Political astuteness

Answer 12

Understanding the political system and process of government and their departments

Question 13

Issue politics

Answer 13

Using political tactics such as bargaining and coalition building to advance an issue.

Question 14

Electoral politics

Answer 14

knowledge and activities used to increase support for a manager, elected official or department.

Question 15

Who makes up the “Iron Triangle”?

Answer 15

1. Congressional committees
2. Administrative agencies
3. Interest groups

Question 16

Helco (1978) described issue networks as

Answer 16

experts, officials and interests that form around a particular issue and can shift rapidly.

Question 17

Milward and Wamsley (1982) described policy networks as

Answer 17

groups of experts, organizations and governmental authorities that shape policy.

Question 18

It is difficult for subgovernment structures to coordinate because of

Answer 18

complexity of issues, interests and participants involved in the process.

Question 19

Privatization creates ______ control mechanisms

Answer 19

Indirect; It blurs the lines of accountability.

Question 20

This model says that problems, solutions and participants can come together in a jumbled fashion to solve a problem.

Answer 20

Garbage can model

Question 21

These three things help shape the policy agenda

Answer 21

Problems
Policies
Politics

Question 22

Public managers manage relationships with

Answer 22

external authorities
actors
networks
policy processes

IN a constrained environment.

Question 23

Networks are built on

Answer 23

trust & collaboration

Question 24

Collaborachy is a term coined by

Answer 24

Robert Agranoff.

He calls it soft guidance with some hierarchical authority.

Question 25

Effective networks are characterized by

Answer 25

cohesion, trust, mutual respect, consensus, common purpose

Question 26

A network of agencies will be most effective when

Answer 26

1. coordinated by a core agency
2. funding is not fragmented
3. resources are plentiful and
4. network is stable.

Question 27

Networks add value through

Answer 27

1. better communication and information

2. better results–funding, policies, etc. (especially for action oriented networks)

Question 28

Collaboration elements described by Stephen Page, 2003

Answer 28

Planning
Assessing progress
Improving performance
Allocating & mobilizing resources

Question 29

Depersonalized leadership

Answer 29

Managers use participatory, inclusive processes to make decisions

Question 30

Example of shallow collaboration

Answer 30

collaborative contracts; fiscal partnerships

Question 31

Example of medium collaboration

Answer 31

Sharing human and professional development in an effort to build capacity and improve services

Question 32

Example of deep collaboration

Answer 32

Enhanced vision; Produces larger rewards that extend beyond organizational boundaries

Question 33

Policy Networks

Answer 33

Stakeholders that share an interest in a specific policy

agencies
legislative offices
private sector
nonprofits
interest groups

Question 34

Collaborative networks

Answer 34

group of orgs that works to provide resources for a single agency.