What is “public policy” and how is it shaped?

•Political Party “Base”•Constituency

•Grassroots Movements•Interest Groups

•Lobbyists•Polls & Media

Public policy:

• The government programs, spending, and laws that affect the public

• Policy is created and enforced by politicians/government

• Policy shaped by values and ideals

What is a political Party “base” and why does it matter who’s in it?

• Base is the people who make up the die-hard/loyalists in a political Party

• Party platform (public policy decisions) set to keep “base” happy

• Happy base=campaign $ and votes!

Who shapes public policy?

1. The party “Base”

Who is in the Republican “base”?

• White men• Conservative “Fundamentalist” “Born-Again”

Christians• Rural (small town, farm belt)• Income > $150,000/year (rich!)• Southern States• Cuban-Americans

Who is in the Democratic Party “base”?• People in big cities• African-Americans• Latino-Americans• Women• College educated• Catholics• Jews• Union/factory “blue collar” workers• People who make at or below poverty level income “Poor”• East and West Coast States (New England/California

What is problem with focus on keeping base happy?• Base is often far “left” or “right” of center; represents

extremist public policy positions rather than beliefs of majority of country

• Leads to “partisan” politics• Partisanship=

– Sticking to Party platform instead of compromising so legislation doesn’t get passed

– Standing by Party members even if they “screw” up– Pork-barrel spending (“If you scratch my back, I’ll

scratch yours”)

• The people who are represented by a Congressman or Senator

• Why do they matter? THEY GET TO VOTE!

Who shapes public policy?

2. Constituency

• The public gets organized to tell government how to vote about an issue

• Public opinion expressed through: protests, petitions, letters to representatives

Who shapes public policy?

3. Grassroots movements

4. Interest groups

• Organized groups with a common interest• Raise money to

Who shapes public policy?

•hire lobbyists•make advertisements to influence public opinion•shape public policy•influence how government will vote on issues

• Professionals hired by interest groups and corporations to influence how bills (proposed laws) are written and voted on

Who shapes public policy?

5. Lobbyists

6. Polls & Media

• Polls: scientific way of finding public opinion about proposed laws, public policy

• Media: Newspaper, t.v., radio, internet

Who shapes public policy?

•Media influences public policy by which issues it chooses to cover and how it covers them (bias?)•“Drum beat” of media•Pictures speak louder than words•Editorial essays and cartoons