Choose three of the contexts that surround policy making and explain how each context can affect the decisions that are made or can influence the policy emphases that emerge. As part of your explanation of a context, give an example of how a certain context had an impact on a policy that was enacted.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Select any of five contexts (social, political, governing, economic, and cultural). For example, the governing context concerns itself with the nation’s constitutional design, which includes separation of powers. Because of separation of powers, there is a requirement that in order for policy to be made, there often needs to be an agreement between the legislative and executive branches of government. This could lead to gridlock, compromise, and settling on broad policies that all can support. Things like the economy, social/demographic trends, political culture, and political power all affect the issues that get dealt with by government and how the issue is resolved. Many different examples could be given, such as the social context of the aging population and interest in Medicare or Social Security reform, and the recession and interest in bills that create jobs.