PUBLIC POLICY:

CONCEPTS AND
DEFINITIONS

(LITERATURE REVIEW)

CONTENTS
Origin

of Policy Studies
Defining Public Policy
Types of Public Policy
Two Types of Publics
Conceptual Framework:
Two Models of Policy Perspective
Basic Principles of the Elitist Model
Basic Principles of the Pluralists Model
Points

to Consider

ORIGIN OF POLICY STUDIES

The interest in studying the policy process
developed not too long ago, around the 1950s in the
US. In the Philippines, the UP C.P.A. initiated the
first attempts in the 1970s to make policy studies
part
of the Colleges programs in research, teaching and
training. There are various reasons why policy studies
or policy analysis is important. But ultimately, it is
aimed to aid politicians and public administrators in
making and implementing informed policy decisions
on vital as well as frivolous issues affecting people
and
society.

DEFINING PUBLIC POLICY

Thomas R. Dye defines public policy as
whatever governments chooses to do or not to
do.
(programs of action that the government deliberately
pursues, and whatever the government selects not to do)
According to him, governments do many things.

They regulate conflict within society; they

organize society to carry on conflict with other
societies; they distribute a great variety of
symbolic rewards and material services to
members of the society; and they extract money
from society, most often in the form of taxes. Thus,
public policies may be regulative, organizational,
distributive, or extractive or all these things at
once.

Public policies may deal with a variety of

substantive areas defense, foreign affairs,
education, welfare, police, highways, taxation,
housing, social security, health, economic
opportunity, urban development, inflation,
recession, and so on. They may range from
the vital to the trivial from the allocation
of tens of billions of dollars for an antiballistic
missile system to the designation of an official
national bird. (Dye, 1995)
Public policy as purposive course of action
followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing
with a problem or matter of concern.
(Anderson, 1975)

Nicholas Nicolaidis elucidates on policy as a

rule for action, manifesting or clarifying
specific organizational goals, objectives,
values, or ideals and often prescribing the
obligatory or most desirable ways and
means for their accomplishment. Such a
rule for action established for the purpose
of framing, guiding, or directing
organizational activities, including
decision-making, intends to provide
relative stability, consistency, uniformity,
and continuity in the operations of the
organization (Nicolaidis,1963)

TYPES OF PUBLIC
POLICY
Distributive promotes private activities that are
desirable to the public as a whole; distributes
services to citizens, benefits all. (Low Visibility)
Competitive limiting the provision of specific
goods
and services to only one or a few several
competing distributors. (Low to Moderate
Visibility)
Protective Regulatory protecting the public by
setting conditions under which private
activities
may be conducted. (Moderate
Visibility)
Redistributive intended to manipulate the
allocation of wealth and property rights.
(High Visibility / Public Attention)

TWO TYPES OF PUBLICS

CONSERVATIVE

prefer to have minimal

government intervention to bring about social
changes;
generally

oppose concentrating power at the

national level; prefer to have power
decentralized at the state and local level.

LIBERALS

want an active government to

force social change;
prefer

having a strong, active, national

government to bring about social equity and to
ensure that the law is applied equally
throughout the nation.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS:
TWO MODELS OF POLICY
PERSPECTIVE
Basic Principles of the Elitist Model
o

Only a small number of people allocate

societys resources and make policy; the
masses do not decide public policy. Values
are determined by elites.
Those who govern are not typical of the
masses: elites come from the upper echelons
and upper socio-economic strata of society.
Non-elites must be gradually integrated into
higher positions to avoid revolution, social
and political instability.

 Elites

share a consensus about the basic

values of the social system and are
committed to preserving that system.
Public policy does not reflect the demands
made by the masses.
Elites are subject to little direct influence
from the apathetic masses.
Public policy is directed from the top
downward.
Basic Principles of the Pluralists Model
Power is an attribute of individuals in their
relationships with other individuals in the
process of decision-making.
Power relationships are not permanent.

 There

is no permanent distinction
between elites and masses on a decision
to decision basis.
Leadership is fluid and mobile. Power
resides in the position, not the person.
There are multiple centers and bases of
power in society.
Considerable competition exists between
interest groups.
Public policy reflects the bargains and
compromises reached between
competing groups.

POINTS TO CONSIDER
Public

policy addresses societal problems with

the end in view of at least improving the
situation if not entirely eliminating the problem.
Policies can also be decisions not to act. These
non-decisions or what may perhaps be called
a hands-off kind of policy can be as equally
important as decisions.
Policy is not just an expression or articulation of
the intention of what government wants to do
about a particular public problem but what it
actually does or implements in relation to that
problem. (As one scholar argued, a policy that
is not implemented means No Policy at all. In
other words, Intentions should be matched with
Action!)

END