Resources

Resources and glossary

Source documents and a consolidated glossary of the terms defined across the lessons.

publicpolicy-module.pdf

The original course document for the Public Policy module. Every lesson on this site is drawn from it.

Open document Open the module

Study aids

24 structured lessons with objectives, key concepts and summaries.
59 knowledge-check questions with immediate feedback.
55 glossary entries linked back to the lesson that defines them.
Personal notes and bookmarks saved on this device.

Glossary

Every term defined in the lessons, in alphabetical order.

Administrative state: The modern era described by Waldo (1984) in which governmental function has expanded sharply and executive participation in policy making has increased steadily.; Historical and Traditional Views of Public Policy
Agenda-setting: The first of the three steps in creating a new public policy.; The Public Policy Process
Authoritative allocation of values: A characterisation of public policy as the binding distribution of what a society values.; Nature and Scope of Public Policy
Behavioralism: The character the module attributes to Dye's definition because it focuses on what government actually does or does not do.; Historical and Traditional Views of Public Policy
Coercion: The monopoly of legitimate force held by government to enforce policy.; The Institutional Model
Demands: Claims for action made by individuals and groups in response to real or perceived conditions.; The Systems Model
Descriptive decision theory: Theory describing how decisions are actually made.; Prospective, Retrospective, and Integrated Analysis
Efficiency: The ratio of achieved to sacrificed societal values used to compare alternatives.; The Rational Model
Elite: The few who hold power and whose values public policy reflects.; The Elite Model
Elite consensus: The shared agreement among elites on the basic values of the social system.; The Elite Model
Empirical approach: Establishes facts about the existence, causes, and consequences of policies.; Empirical, Valuative, and Normative Approaches
Environment: Any condition or circumstance defined as external to the boundaries of the political system.; The Systems Model
Equilibrium: The balance point reached among competing interest groups, expressed as public policy.; The Group Model
Expected policy outcomes: The outcomes anticipated from each policy alternative before adoption.; Five Types of Policy-Relevant Information
Feedback: The effect of policy outputs on the environment, generating new demands and supports.; The Systems Model
Forecasting: The procedure that produces information about expected policy outcomes.; The Process of Inquiry and the Policy System
Funding priorities: The allocation preferences that form part of the system of public policy on a given topic.; Public Policy Definitions
Game theory: The study of rational decisions where two or more participants have choices and the outcome depends on all of them.; Game Theory and Public Choice
Implementation: The third step, in which the chosen policy is carried out.; The Public Policy Process
Implementation gap: The distance between what a policy intends and what implementation actually produces.; Criticisms and Challenges
Incrementalism: The view of public policy as a continuation of past government activities with only incremental modifications.; The Incremental Model
Integrated analysis: Analysis that is continuous, producing and transforming information both before and after policy actions.; Prospective, Retrospective, and Integrated Analysis
Interest group: Individuals with common interests banded together to press demands on government.; The Group Model
Legitimacy: The quality government confers on a policy by adopting it through institutional authority.; The Institutional Model
Maximum social gain: The criterion of the rational model: the greatest excess of societal gains over costs.; The Rational Model
Model: A simplified representation used to explain some aspect of public policy.; Comparing and Applying the Models
Monitoring: The procedure that produces information about observed policy outcomes.; The Process of Inquiry and the Policy System
NEDA: The National Economic and Development Authority, the Philippines' socioeconomic planning body that advises on development planning and policy formulation.; Public Policy in the Philippines
Normative approach: Recommends future courses of action to resolve policy problems.; Empirical, Valuative, and Normative Approaches
Normative decision theory: Theory prescribing how decisions ought to be made.; Prospective, Retrospective, and Integrated Analysis
Observed policy outcomes: The outcomes that actually occurred after a policy took effect.; Five Types of Policy-Relevant Information
Option-formulation: The second step, in which courses of action are developed.; The Public Policy Process
P = F (G, E): Eyestone's formulation: public policy is a function of the governmental system (G) and its living environment (E).; Historical and Traditional Views of Public Policy
Policy analysis: An applied social science discipline using multiple methods of inquiry and argument to produce and transform policy-relevant information for use in political settings.; What Policy Analysis Is
Policy evaluation: The stage in which policy performance and effects are examined, with findings feeding back into the stream.; The Policy Stream: Stages of the Philippine Policy Process
Policy legitimation: The stage in which a chosen course of action is given authority through enactment or official issuance.; The Policy Stream: Stages of the Philippine Policy Process
Policy performance: The degree to which observed outcomes contribute to resolving the policy problem.; Five Types of Policy-Relevant Information
Policy system: The overall arrangement of public policies, policy stakeholders, and the policy environment.; The Process of Inquiry and the Policy System
Policy-relevant information: Information produced or transformed by analysis for use in resolving policy problems.; What Policy Analysis Is
Politics–administration dichotomy: The separation implied in Wilson's definition, where legislative statesmen make laws and administration personnel implement them, which narrows the range of policy makers.; Historical and Traditional Views of Public Policy
Problem structuring: The procedure that produces information about the nature of the policy problem.; The Process of Inquiry and the Policy System
Process model: A model viewing public policy as a political activity that proceeds through a sequence of stages.; The Process Model
Program management: The coordinated management of a group of related projects to achieve objectives that contribute to strategic goals.; Differentiating Public Policy, Program Management, and Project Management
Project management: The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to plan, execute, monitor, and control an individual project within defined constraints.; Differentiating Public Policy, Program Management, and Project Management
Promulgate: To formally put forward or declare a policy instrument by a governmental entity or its representatives.; Public Policy Definitions
Prospective analysis: Production and transformation of information before policy actions are taken.; Prospective, Retrospective, and Integrated Analysis
Public choice theory: The economic study of non-market decision making, applying economic analysis to public policy making.; Game Theory and Public Choice
Public policy: Principles, actions, and decisions made by governmental bodies or public institutions to address societal issues, promote public welfare, and guide governance.; Differentiating Public Policy, Program Management, and Project Management
Retrospective analysis: Production and transformation of information after policy actions have been taken.; Prospective, Retrospective, and Integrated Analysis
Stakeholder: Any actor with an interest in, or affected by, a policy under consideration.; Stakeholders and Influence in Policy Making
Sunk costs: Heavy existing investments in current programs that preclude radical change.; The Incremental Model
Supports: Compliance rendered when individuals and groups obey laws, pay taxes, and conform to policy decisions.; The Systems Model
Universality: The extension of government policies to all people in a society.; The Institutional Model
Valuative approach: Determines the worth or value of policies and their consequences.; Empirical, Valuative, and Normative Approaches
Value dispute: A disagreement about what ought to be preferred, which analysis can clarify but not resolve.; What Policy Analysis Can and Cannot Do