- [Instructor] In previous videos
we've talked about how various groups
attempt to influence public policy.
Political parties, interest groups, bureaucratic agencies,
even social movements.
And we've talked about The Policy Process Model.
This is how a problem is identified
and potentially addresses,
through a policy solution.
So in this video,
let's bring these two things together
by thinking through when and how
each of these groups might influence
the policy process.
So let's say that our problem is climate change.
As we've discussed in other videos,
climate change has only recently
become an issue
that voters wanna see politicians address.
Social movements have put climate change
on the policy agenda,
with climate activists leading
marches and strikes
to demand action from politicians.
You will most often see
the influence of social movements
at this point in the Policy Process,
or at the Policy Evaluation step.
Take a moment to think about why that is.
What are the characteristics
of broad based social movements
that make it more difficult
for them to engage at other parts
of the policy process.
Well, social movements are large,
often led at the grassroots level,
and so they may not have a central body
that could get into the weeds
with crafting policy.
When people go out to protest,
it's usually because they want
a policy to be enacted to solve a problem,
or because they're not happy with an existing policy
and they want it to be removed or revised.
So that's why you might also see
social movements influencing policy
at the Evaluation and Change stage.
Okay, so say that climate activists
have gotten their issue onto the agenda,
now it's time for Policy Formation.
Coming up with a potential solution
to the problem,
which groups might be involved with that?
This is a time when interest groups
might play a large role,
and environmental group may have a strong opinion
about what goals the government should work toward
in curbing climate change.
Whether that's reducing carbon emissions,
or incentivizing clean energy.
In fact an interest group
might even write potential legislation
for members of Congress.
In the Policy Legitimation stage,
when the proposed solution is debated
and set to become law,
you may see political parties
exerting a great deal of influence.
A party member in Congress
may champion the legislation
as a representation of their party's goals,
or work against it because it conflicts
with their party's goals.
This stage is also when the federal budget
process takes places.
So you might find bureaucratic agencies or departments
campaigning to spend more or less money
on the policy.
Now the law's on the books.
Let's say it's a law to reduce carbon emissions
by 25% over 10 years,
and the money is lined up to fund it.
It's time for the Implementation Stage.
So which groups might attempt
to exert influence
in this stage of the process?
Well, definitely bureaucratic agencies,
at least one of which will be tasked
with implementing the new law.
This is also a time when interest groups
will be really prominent.
Remember, the law might have an overarching goal,
reducing carbon emissions by 25%,
but it's up to the bureaucracy
to come up with the specific rules
that will make that happen.
So interest groups representing coal,
oil, or solar power,
might attempt to influence those rules
in their favor.
Now the last stage of the process, Evaluation.
Who do you think will wanna have a say
in how effective the policy has been
in solving the problem?
If you guessed everyone,
you're getting the hang of this policy making thing.
Experts in the bureaucracy
may undertake a formal analysis of data
to understand how well policy goals
have been met.
Political parties may want to tout
how effective a program
they sponsored was, or critique how ineffective
a program they opposed was.
Interest groups may request adjustments
to the program
to better serve their members.
And social movements,
as we've already mentioned,
might turn out to protest,
or on rare occasions,
to celebrate the outcome of a policy,
and then the whole process starts again.