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  • - [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.

- [Instructor] In previous videos

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