The Pros & Cons of Public Policies
Public policies consist of the actions, decisions and programs that governmental bodies enact to address public issues or problems. Governments at all levels--national, state and local--make policies that address issues ranging from education and healthcare to criminal justice and national security. Because of their inherently political nature, however, most public policies can have both positive and negative effects.
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Pro: Public Protection
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Increased public and consumer safety is one of the main benefits of public policies at all levels of government, whether local, state or federal. Public policies result in enhanced national security, safer food and consumer goods, better police protection, cleaner air and water and improved workplace safety. Regulatory policies such as these can improve public safety and enhance quality of life.
Pro: Economic Expansion
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Many public policies have direct or indirect effects on a nation's economy. Public policies for improving education, for example, can have positive economic impacts by leading to a workforce with better education and skills. Policies related to infrastructure can strengthen the foundation for economic growth by improving transportation and communications systems. These improvements position a nation to accommodate the rapid pace of technological change.
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Con: Unclear Objectives
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The political arena has a long history of bargaining and deal-making. Many policies have vague or ambiguous goals as a result of negotiation and bargaining that inevitably occurs in order to secure the majority coalition needed for passage of a new law or policy. Vague objectives then present difficulties for governmental agencies charged with carrying out new policies. As a result, different players in the policy process might view objectives differently, and thus reach differing conclusions about the accomplishments of a given policy.
Con: Short-Term Expectations vs. Long-Term Effects
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Elected officials, eager to boast of policy accomplishments in order to boost their re-election prospects, often want quick results from public policies. However, the full effects of many policies might take years to appear. Many public policies might have unfavorable results in the short term, often resulting in calls for program termination. This, unfortunately, often leads to short-term thinking by many policy-makers, with little regard to long-term consequences. As a consequence, many public policies tend to be incremental in nature, differing only slightly from existing policies and programs.
Considerations
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Public policies designed to have certain effects or outcomes often have unintended consequences. Policies intended to increase government surveillance of suspected terrorists might improve national security, but they might also have civil liberties implications. Social welfare programs might improve the well-being of the poor, but they might also affect their initiative to seek employment or training and education to improve their job skills.
Prevention/Solution
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Rigorous policy analysis that considers the short- and long-term consequences, as well as costs and benefits, can provide useful guidance to policy-makers who are considering a range of options. Public policy analysis has an important role in the process; however, its influence might be limited in the political environment in which policy is formulated and implemented. Further, analysis is not a cure-all solution to the problems associated with public policy. The complexity of human society makes it impossible to predict the consequences, positive or negative, associated with a set of policy options.
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