UNIT III STUDY GUIDE The Policymaking Process PA 5306, Public Policy 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title state driver’s license, military ID card, U.S. passport, U.S. certificate of naturalization, and college ID card. Some of the unique population groups’ challenges derived from the fact that when using university ID cards, students must also verify that they are actively enrolled. Further, departments of moter vehicles (DMV) provide official state ID cards but also, at times, require the presentation of a birth certificate. This is acceptable to many citizens but not to the many who do not live near DMV offices. Do you believe these are inconveniences to the voter and may discourage many from attending a voting center? Many low-income wage earners who depend on government support tend to vote for candidates who are strong proponents of social aid programs. Do you believe low-income groups have less of an opportunity to acquire driver’s licenses or to register for college courses? Opponents of the voter card ID requirement contend that false impersonation does not often occur at voting polls both in the state or in national elections (Marley, Stein, & Vielmetti, 2014). Marley et al. (2014) indicate the lawsuit was resolved when U.S. District Judge Adelan voted for the plaintiff by referencing the federal Voting Rights Act, ultimately contending that it had been violated. The judge maintained that the state did not provide sufficient evidence that voter fraud existed in Wisconsin. This position was derived from policy analysis and legal precedent. Impacts of Policy Differences Several policy themes present themselves from this unit’s narrative. First, policymaking causes conflicts. The results of developing policy might not always be the original effects they were intended to be. In this voter ID case, it was probably better to gain bipartisan support. In addition, other public policy issues from social programs such as education, medical care, or immigration support do not always turn out to be effective when revised. Nonpartisan analysis should always be an active part of the policy development process in order to bring out credible assessments representing political party differences. Second, policy and voters change over time. Continued policy support can change because of uncontrollable variables such as economic conditions, new views from elected officials, or acceptance of changed culture or values from voters. Public policy examples may include changed opinions towards marijuana use, public employee union representation, or same-sex marriages. These changed cultural values then become represented by political parties and often by new policy makers. Third, the ongoing process of policy development also includes the dynamics of policymaking. Our voter ID case represents solutions that attempt to solve a present problem but may affect other important things in the future such as weak or unbalanced party representation in local or state government. Do you think party division brings about healthy debate? Policy Challenges and Identification Even though the description and purpose of policy may be clear, the effects may not be so evident when applying rules and enforcements. Critical changes, small or large, may have severe effects on those covered by these policies. Examples may include local, state, and federal policies that change Social Security, health care for senior citizens, or education for K-12 schools. In modern times, Social Security income is very important for senior citizens who depend heavily on government income for most of their expenses (Hawkins, n.d.). Those citizens who had relatively low income throughout their lives will struggle during their retirement years because their nest egg savings did not add up to enough resources saved to buy necessary products and services during their golden years. Small increments of policy change in the present system may severely alter a senior citizen’s quality of life. Hawkins (n.d.) outlines that Medicare and Medicaid, which provide help with medical care cost, continue to rise in cost. The service is not optional when low income or senior citizens need medical treatment, and the continued rise in cost adversely affects the quality of life for these population groups. Turner (2016) explains that education policy affects local and state employment by preparing students for graduation with the appropriate skill sets needed by public or private enterprises. Without appropriate funding, school systems and social misfortunes could increase. PA 5306, Public Policy 3 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Strategic Direction Eissler, Russell, and Jones (2016) contend that incremental progress may be the safest strategy when solving public problems. The present democratic process uses a methodical policy analysis process as discussed in Unit II to solve public problems. New problems should be solved at a slow and prudent pace to reduce the risk of missteps. This allows short-term fixes to correct minor misdirection with little cost (Eissler, Russell, & Jones, 2016). The topic of global climate change illustrates this point most readily because uncertainties on the validity of the science have been alleged since the early eighties and are still debated today (Urry, 2015). Because of these science ambiguities, budget priorities related to the climate change differ greatly. Presently, these partitions of differences seem to group according to political party preferences. Funding Opportunity Reviewing political contributions also provides some insight on what type of policy and direction industry supports. The Open Secrets website provides statistics and analysis on contribution amounts and organization identity. After clicking the link, scroll down to the bottom of the opening page and click on “Influence and Lobbying,” then click on “Interest Groups.” From there you will be able to preview industry specific contributions, name and amount that organizations contributed, political party affiliation, illustrations that summarize timeline contribution trends, and top political recipients who received money from interest groups called political action committees (PACs) and super PACs. The website also provides the amount that most congressional representatives received and from what industry. After reviewing the website, can you identify which political parties received the most contributions in the 2017–2018 election period? Which type of industries provide the highest dollar amount donations? What public policy may be most affected? Summary In this unit, we reviewed some of the challenges and directions policy makers need to focus on now and in the future. Policy decisions affect lives in many ways. The voter requirements we referenced in the beginning of the lesson heavily focused on minority involvement, but increased interest is needed from qualified citizens to vote for eligible candidates when possible. In the year 2016, only half of eligible voters actually voted in the presidential election (Wallace, 2016). Public participation in the voting process produces effective policymaking because more citizens may also become involved by writing letters and opinions on policy matters. Among the citizenry, policymaking topics and government oversight can produce attitudes of cynicism and mistrust, but policy makers still have an obligation to provide the best opportunity within the law for an effective democracy. Wallace (2016) reasons that today, with the use of technology, policy makers in the local, state, and federal branches of governments can use forecast models to help predict best possible scenarios when developing public policy. Lastly, elected and appointed government candidates need to encourage citizen engagement. This will also ensure policy makers receive appropriate input from the people they serve. References Eissler, R., Russell, A., & Jones, B. D. (2016). The transformation of ideas: The origin and evolution of punctuated equilibrium theory. In B. G. Peters & P. Zittoun (Eds.), Contemporary approaches to public policy: Theories, controversies and perspectives (pp. 95–112). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Hawkins, C. (n.d.). Helpful resources for seniors surviving on Social Security. Retrieved from http://www.seniorliving.org/retirement/resources-surviving-social-security/ Marley, P., Stein, J., & Vielmetti, B. (2014, April 29). Federal judge strikes down Wisconsin’s voter ID law. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Powers, J. N. (2016, October 28). Letter: Look at Wisconsin for example of rigged elections [Letter to the editor]. The Shawano Leader. Retrieved from https://www.shawanoleader.com/articles/2016/10/28/letter-look-wisconsin-example-rigged-elections Turner, C. (2016, April 18). Why America’s schools have a money problem. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2016/04/18/474256366/why-americas-schools-have-a-money-problem PA 5306, Public Policy 4 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Urry, J. (2015). Climate change and society. In J. Mitchie & C. L. Cooper (Eds.). TitleWhy the social sciences matter (pp. 45–59). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Wallace, G. (2016). Voter turnout at 20-year low in 2016. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/11/politics/popular-vote-turnout-2016/index.htm