Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
Review the two contrasting think tank positions on gun control presented in the “Steps to Analysis†box on pages 211–212 of the Public Policy textbook..
- Which do you think is more persuasive? Explain your answer.
- Should policy analyses try to deal with the fundamental causes of social problems, such as crime, poverty, and homelessness, or aim instead for a more pragmatic approach that may be more realistic and more politically acceptable? Explain your position.
Due Monday
Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.
I Copy and Paste Page 211-212
TYPES OF POLICY ANALYSIS No matter what kind of public problem needs a solution, from airline safety and urban transportation to persistent poverty or immigration, there is usually no shortage of policy studies that might apply. Some come from government offices themselves, such as the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service, or from executive agencies and departments such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. Policy analysis is becoming common at the state level (Hird 2005) and globally, both within government agencies and in the private and nonprofit sectors. A great number of studies, however, come from interest groups and independent policy research institutes or think tanks, many of which advocate specific political agendas (Rich 2004).The abundance of policy studies reflects not only the dramatic rise in the number of think tanks since the 1970s but also the even more striking increase in the number of interest groups that seek to shape public opinion on the issues and affect the policy process. This shift in the political environment is most evident at the national level, where policy researchers and interest groups pay rapt attention to the debates in Congress and the activities of administrative agencies. Even at state and local levels of government, particularly in the larger states and cities, policy studies and advocacy are common, especially as national groups such as the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) seek to influence policymaking in the states.The leading think tanks, such as the Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Urban Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Heritage Foundation, are well endowed financially and can afford large professional staffs. Many receive significant and continuing support from foundations and industry or from government agencies for whom they conduct research under contract.13 These research institutes are therefore generally well equipped to distribute their analyses throughout government, the Washington policy community, academia, and major media outlets nationwide (Ricci 1993; C. Weiss 1992). We provide a list of websites for think tanks and for other sources of policy studies at the end of the chapter. See the box “Steps to Analysis: Think Tank Positions on Policy Issues†for a comparison of the findings of two prominent think tanks, the conservative Heritage Foundation and the liberal Center for American Progress, on gun control.One way to compare think tanks is to understand the kinds of policy studies or policy analyses available today, a matter addressed briefly in chapter 1. Policy analyses fall into three broad categories: scientific, professional, and political. All serve valid purposes, but they have varying goals and objectives and use different methods. Figure 4-2 summarizes the distinctions among the three perspectives.DescriptionFigure 4-2 Orientations to Policy AnalysisSources: Drawn in part from Peter House, The Art of Public Policy Analysis (Beverly Hills, Calif.: SAGE Publications, 1982); and David L. Weimer and Aidan R. Vining, Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice, 6th ed. (New York: Routledge, 2017).Steps to AnalysisThink Tank Positions on Policy IssuesAll think tanks conduct analysis and advocate positions on public policy issues, but some of these groups are committed to political or ideological standpoints that affect their analyses and recommendations. Gun control is one issue that think tanks of varying political persuasions have studied over the past several decades. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012 and shootings at many other locations—such as a nightclub in Orlando, Florida; a high school in Parkland, Florida; a Walmart in El Paso, Texas; and a nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio—since then raise a number of questions related to use of firearms. These include the possible expansion of background checks required for those seeking to purchase a firearm, a limit on size of the ammunition clips available, a ban on assault-style weapons, and additional restrictions on gun purchases by those with diagnosed mental illness. What Did the Heritage Foundation Say about Gun Control? First, we must identify the specific problems to be addressed involving school safety, mental illness, the cultural climate, and the misuse of firearms. Second, we must analyze potential solutions to the specific problems identified, examining the facts and taking into account the costs and benefits of the potential solutions to ensure that sound judgment governs the emotions inescapably attached to the subject. Finally, Americans must implement appropriate solutions in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution, including the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms, the traditional role of the states in our federal system, and the central significance of family.
Source: John Malcolm and Jennifer A. Marshall, “The Newtown Tragedy: Complex Causes Require Thoughtful Analysis and Responses,†January 17, 2013, available at www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/report/2013/12/13/80795/the-gun-debate-1-year-after-newtown/.
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