Policy Cycle

Question 1: Policy Cycle

The policy cycle consists of eight stages: agenda setting, problem definition, alternative selection, authoritative decision, policy design, program implementation, program evaluation, and termination or change (Cropf, p. 259). In three-paragraphs, select one of these eight stages and identify why this stage is important in the policy cycle.
Reference
Cropf, R. (2008). American public administration: public service for the 21st century (1sted.) New York, NY: Pearson Longman.

Question 2: Program Evaluation

Simply designing and implementing a policy is not enough to guarantee the success of a program – it also involves evaluating the progress of that policy in order to make any necessary adjustments to increase quality and efficacy. Pick a public policy that has been in the news recently, and evaluate whether that policy has achieved measurable objectives, and if not, why the policy has not met the expectations of its policy designers. You may select, for example, policies regarding education (e.g., No Child Left Behind), the economy (e.g., cutting taxes for middle-class taxpayers), or foreign policy (e.g., American military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan). Be sure to include what criteria you used to evaluate whether the policy succeeded or failed.

Question 3: Types of Budgeting
Discuss the differences between the rational budgeting and incremental budgeting models. What advantages and disadvantages can you identify relating to both models? What improvements, if any, would you make to either model?

Question 4: Revenue Streams for Public Organizations
Taxes and user fees provide much of the revenue for public organizations that is necessary to fund public programs. Yet, despite these revenue streams, local, state, and federal governments consistently face budgetary shortfalls in attempting to fund public programs. What changes, if any, would you make to the way governments obtain revenue for public programs? Consider the following questions: would you make any changes to individual and corporate income tax rates, property taxes, or sales taxes? Would you increase or decrease user fees? Do you think that a flat tax might be a more appropriate way to generate revenue? Would a national sales tax (not to be confused with state sales taxes) be a sensible method to raise revenue?

Question 5: Characteristics of the Modern Bureaucracy
Discuss your view about the modern bureaucracy, particularly regarding the size of the bureaucracy, its role in daily public life, and characteristics of the civil service workforce. In particular, discuss whether it should be easier to hire and terminate civil servants based on their performance, and whether high-performing civil servants should receive merit-based compensation similar to their counterparts in the private sector. In addition, speculate about differences between the private sector and the public sector, and to discuss which characteristics of the private sector could be imported into the public sector to improve performance and quality.

Question 6: An Ideal Bureaucracy
After reflecting on the different theories of organization and public administration, described how you would adjust, amend, or reform the current bureaucracy to meet the needs of the United States in the 21st century. Consider the following questions: is the current American bureaucracy in need of reform, or does it largely meet the needs of society? Do you believe that there are deep systemic and fundamental changes required to create an ideal bureaucracy? Is an ideal bureaucracy possible given the size of the United States and the many different constituencies within the country? How likely, or unlikely, are the prospects of any major changes occurring in the near term or long term?

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