Current Public Policy

Current Public Policy

Public policy involves laws and regulations that determine how citizens deal with public issues and problems[1]Public policy in this regard gives direction concerning problems that come up in society. Issues include but are not limited to crime, for example. Different policies exist to deal with social, economic, and political issues. One such problem is crime, which is common across the country. Crime fits into different categories ranging from low to high-level crime. Murder, for example, is a high-level crime which conversely attracts a higher penalty. The death penalty is a public policy under criminal justice that seeks to deal with murder criminals through the use of the death penalty. As inferred earlier, a policy determines how citizens handle issues. It is in this regard the death penalty policy elicits differences in opinion based on how different groups seek to deal with murder crime. As a result, some states embrace the death penalty while others do not and instead issue life sentences.

Policy Making Models

Policymaking is determined by models, otherwise known as theories of politics. These include; systems model, which involves output, input, and feedback of information[2]. The group model, on the other hand, involves lobbying by groups with similar interests. The interest groups lobby on behalf of individuals, thus acting as the bridge between the government and the citizens. The elite mass model involves policymaking, that is power-oriented. It translates to policymaking based on the input of the elite versus the masses. Policy in this regard is based on the interests of the haves against those who do not have[3].

As regards the death penalty policy being banned in several states across the U.S., the group model comes into play. Public policy does not only seek to promote general public good but promotes societal values and morals[4]. The death penalty has a huge moral argument for those opposed to it. A belief that a human being should not take the life of another is based on values. Proponents of the policy make arguments on the grounds of justice equal to the crime. A group model that involves lobbying by different groups such as human rights groups, as well as the legislature, has been used. The legislature, for example, is instrumental in passing or rejection of proposed laws.

It is interesting to note that political parties equally act as groups with Republicans being one group and the Democrats another. Law, in this regard, is passed or rejected depending on numbers. The signing of the executive order by California Governor Gavin to end execution during his term in office is an example of public policymaking. The subsequent support by Democratic presidential candidates is an example of the group model in action as regards the death penalty. The insinuation that Democratic candidates wishing to succeed president Trump must reevaluate their stand on the death penalty[5] is also indicative of the group model of policymaking. Groups in this case refer to two different political parties.

Policy Outcome

Group model has evidently had an outcome as far as the death penalty is concerned. Despite some interest groups deeming it immoral, the ban on the death penalty has also been political. The support from Democrats is evidence of the group model impact on policymaking. The outcome, in this case, has little to do with cultural, social, and economic aspects as it is predominantly political. The public policy regulates behavior[6] and, in this case, governs action taken against murder criminals by the judicial system in a state.

In the state of California, for example, voters voted for the death penalty in 2016. The action is indicative of the outcome of a position taken by the majority of California citizens. The pressure to uphold the death penalty in this scenario resulted in an action that voted for the death penalty law. The voting was instead done to expedite executions. It was an indication of the opinion of the citizens. A decision was made concerning dealing with a societal problem (capital crime). The California majority had made their solution to capital crime known and heard through the ballot.

Conclusion

The public policy determines how people live, who does what, and how things are done. It, therefore, means that policymaking involves social, economic as well as political aspects. Laws regulate, for example, taxes (how much, how, who, and when it is paid). Policymaking thus should promote cohesive living while fostering social, economic, and political stability. Conversely, policymaking can promote strife in society as well as economic and political instability.

Bibliography

Arango, Tim. “Democrats Rethink The Death Penalty, And Its Politics”. Nytimes.Com, Last

modified 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/us/politics/death-penalty-democrats.html.

California State University Long Beach. “MODELS OF PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING”.

Web.Csulb.Edu, Last modified 2002. https://web.csulb.edu/~msaintg/ppa590/models.htm.

Dye, Thomas R. Understanding Public Policy. 13th ed., n.d.

Gurley, Kristie C., and Richard Barke. “Public Policy Models In Deep Time”. Spp.Gatech.Edu,

Last modified 2014. https://spp.gatech.edu/publications/pubFile/465.

Kraft, Michael E., and Scott R. Furlong. Public Policy. 4th ed., 2020.

[1] Michael E. Kraft and Scott R. Furlong, Public Policy, 4th ed., 2020.

[2] Kristie C. Gurley and Richard Barke, “Public Policy Models In Deep Time”, Spp.Gatech.Edu, Last modified 2014, https://spp.gatech.edu/publications/pubFile/465.

[3] California State University Long Beach, “MODELS OF PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING”, Web.Csulb.Edu, Last modified 2002, https://web.csulb.edu/~msaintg/ppa590/models.htm.

[4] Michael E. Kraft and Scott R. Furlong, Public Policy, 4th ed., 2020, p4.

[5] Tim Arango, “Democrats Rethink The Death Penalty, And Its Politics”, Nytimes.Com, Last modified 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/us/politics/death-penalty-democrats.html.

[6] Thomas R. Dye, Understanding Public Policy, 13th ed., n.d, p1.