Agriculture and policy
Question 1
The primary policy evaluative criteria
The following are the policy evaluation criteria.
Effectiveness- effectiveness means that when a policy is proposed, evaluation is done to measure if the policy will achieve the policy objectives (Caputo, 2013). A policy will be considered to be effective if the direct results will contribute to the intended objectives.
Efficiency- this means that the proposed policy must be analyzed to see if the resources will contribute to the intended output (Caputo, 2013). In other words, the costs are measured to ensure that it brings benefits and values.
Impact- the criterion measures the consequences of the policy (Caputo, 2013). For example, how will the policy affect the economy, environment, and society? The impact is also measured in terms of positive and negative effects and whether they will be the short-term or long-term.
Relevance-When a policy is proposed, relevance is measured in terms of to what extent will the policy because meet the needs of the population (Caputo, 2013). Also, relevance means the usefulness of the policy. If the policy is relevant at a higher level, what are the development activities?
Sustainability-Evaluation on sustainability considers whether the policy will offer external support after the implementation, or it will fail (Caputo, 2013). This means that decision-makers focus on a policy associated with lasting improvements.
Question 2
The primary factors that cause conflict in policymaking
Interest groups or intergroup conflict- one of the main factors that contribute to conflict in policy-making is the interest groups. Note that in policymaking, different people participate and individuals or groups want to favor policies or to propose policies that will benefit them (Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013). Due to the special interest group, conflict may arise and it may contribute to other issues such as administrative bribery and corruption.
Differing ideas and goals-in policymaking, the policymakers may propose different policies or they may raise different goals concerning a policy (Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013). Even though the difference may help come up with better solutions toward policy making, conflict may arise due to the difference in personality and values.
Perceptions of individual characteristics- in policymakers, some decision-makers focus on perception rather than conducting a comprehensive analysis of the issue (Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013). By viewing the issue using a personal lens, conflict may arise due to divergent views.
Question 3
Decentralized form of government is not similar to a federal form of government.
A decentralized form of government is not similar to a federal form of government. First, it is important to understand that decentralization means different levels of government. If that is the case, central or the federal government is part of the decentralization form of government together with state and local levels of governments (Kim, 2008). It is also important to note that each level of government plays a role in decision making. For example, the federal government is responsible for addressing issues in the public sector. Another important point to note is that the federal government then divides its power into national and state levels of government to ensure that decisions concerning public services are made effectively. Up to this point, a decentralized form of government is not similar to a federal form of government and the difference occurs in the roles they perform (Kim, 2008). Note that the purpose of a decentralized form of government is to expand power to the central government and give it the power or authority to make decisions. Therefore, as the central government concentrates on sharing power, the decentralized form of government concentrates on improving governance and political democratization.
Question 4
The difference between fiscal and monetary policy
Fiscal policy measures how the central and local government has spent the revenue. If the governments have spent higher revenue, it means that there is economic development and if the expenditure is low, the economy is dragging (Langdana, 2002). For example, during the financial crisis from 2007 to 2009, the fiscal and monetary policymakers used the policies as tools to address the economic crisis. Fiscal policymakers focused on higher government spending and low taxes. In other words, the policymakers focused on expansionary (Langdana, 2002). There were $288 billion tax cuts and $150 billion was spent in areas such as energy and transportation. On the other hand, monetary policy measures how the central bank is supplying money and interest rates. The purpose of the monetary policy is to set interest rates and increase the supply of money. For example, during the financial crisis in 2008, the monetary policymakers brought changes in the money supply and the funds' rates (Langdana, 2002). The federal funds are was reduced to 0.25 and this was meant to increase the money supply.
Question 5
The concept of policy legitimation
During the policy-making process, the concept of policy legitimation means that after the policy is formed after intense negotiation, the people or rather the citizens accept the policy and gives the government the authority to implement (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009). However, the public recognizes the policy as right if it passes through the legislation process. Note that the policymakers do not have the last word and therefore citizens are given the power to offer their perceptions and values. In other words, the public is given the mandate to approve or to pass a bill from a legal aspect (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009). It is important to note that policy is legitimized through a public hearing and public meetings. For example, in 1992, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act was not legitimate or in other words, the public or the interest group did not approve the Act (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009). The lawmakers argued that the public was unwilling to accept the Act. The author states that the lawmakers should ask the interest groups question about the Act before policy implementation.
Question 6
Focusing on the case scenario, as a U.S Congress who is involved in making a decision concerning a policy problem, I would opt for pursuing a policy based on the ultimate cause. Note that in solving the problem, I would like to justify the solutions. In other words, I would like to dig deep and find the root cause or the underlying factors that are contributing to the problem (Dodds, 2020). Note that the role of the proximate cause is to understand the problem at hand. However, the important part is to find the ultimate cause or find out where the problem is arising. Note that the ultimate cause will help formulate solutions and not only solutions but the most efficient solutions (Dodds, 2020). For example, assume we are treating illnesses. It is important to treat the main cause of the diseases rather than relying on the symptoms or rather than alleviating the symptoms. Similarly, in solving problems, it is important to move out of the comfort zone or in other words it is important to explore the outside world and conduct a root cause analysis (Dodds, 2020). The latter will help understand the difference between knowledge and assumptions and more importantly, understand the ultimate cause and implement the best solutions.
References
Caputo, R. K. (2013). Policy analysis for social workers. SAGE Publication
Kim Aehyung. (2008). Decentralized and the Provision of Public Services. World Bank
Publications.
Beheshtifar, M., & Zare, E. (2013). Interpersonal conflict: A substantial factor to organizational
failure. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social
Sciences, 3(5), 400.
Langdana, F. K. (2002). Macroeconomic policy: Demystifying monetary and fiscal policy.
Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Denhardt, R. B., & Denhardt, J. V. (2009). Public administration: An action orientation.
Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth
Dodds, W. K. (2020). The world's worst problems. Cham: Springer.
