Introduction to Public Policy

Introduction

The quotations above, except for the last, illustrate the prevailing preferences for small government and individual liberty which are firmly established legacies in American history. Yet, despite this hallowed tradition, American government, especially since the 1930s, has grown in cost and reach -- especially in the George W. Bush and the Barack Obama presidencies. This has evoked a staunch conservative reaction that harkens back to the 1964 presidential campaign of Senator Barry Goldwater (R.-AZ) against incumbent president Lyndon Johnson, a protege of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The conservative movement, largely based in the Republican Party, now permeates American politics and government. Collisions about appropriate public policy abound.

However, the Democratic Party controls both houses of Congress and the Presidency. A sharp sectional divide within the USA, depicted by Red States and Blue States, has coalesced. The epic recession of 2008 into 2009 evokes a assertive national commitment, and the expected push back reaction.

Deep dissatisfactions persist over government policy in Iraq and the lingering response to the disaster in New Orleans and the Gulf region of the South. The shadow of the terrorist attack of 9/11/01 lurks in the shadows of our public life. Despite a fresh Presidency, public confidence in government at all levels has plummeted along with the national economy.

This sets up a paradox. Despite the presumed withdrawal from big government, Washington-based institutions and insiders appear continue to expand government size, expense, and scope. The rate of federal spending increase during the first Bush administration was about 10% per year. And the epic recession accelerates the expansion.

Professionals in the field of public policy frequently promote their stock in trade, acting as true believers advocating even more public policy initiatives and expansion of current programs. Pet theories based on ideology, rarely results, abound. Consider Mark Twain's adage: To the man who has only a hammer, everything else is a nail. Those involved with government often tend to promote more government, evoking a countervailing response among those who oppose the expansion of government, either as an impediment to individual freedom or as a drain on their pocketbook. Consensus appears as a contradiction precluded by hype and spin.

Here, we remain skeptical of the stated claims of public policy and of government, adopting a critical perspective. We seek truth, not partisan advantage. An honest and empirical investigation of public policy will not be easy.

The introduction to The Public Policy Cycle Web Site includes these topics:

An orientation to the field of public policy
An explanation of the premises underlying The Public Policy Cycle Web Site:
- A critical outlook toward public policy
- The public policy cycle
- A historical context: from the Welfare State to globalism
A listing of some of the limits to public policy.
A brief word on ideology in public policy
An illustration: the seminal case of Malthus

Introduction to Public Policy

| Ideology |Limits |Cycle | Dismal Science|

Introduction

Table of Contents

Goal of The Public Policy Cycle Web Site