Types of Public Policy

Lecture 5

Introduction
An important characteristic of policy making is that different kinds of policies tend to be associated with different kinds of political relationships and processes Theodore J. Lowi argued that there are three primary type of policies
Distributive Redistributive Regulatory

Each type of policy is associated with a particular political process According to Lowi, all public policies are coercive as they seek to alter individual and social conduct

Distributive Policies
Policies concerned with the distribution of new resources are distributive policies; these include grants, subsidies that give protection to certain interests against competition; legislation regarding implementation of any policy/scheme is likely to be specific and allows little administrative discretion Key decisions, as of who has to receive benefits and how much are usually made by legislator who have considerable interests in certain segments of society Adult education, food relief, social insurance, scholarships to students of weaker sections

Contd
Distributive policies are the most common form of central action to solve public problems Subsidies, research support, collection and dissemination of information, creation of distributive public goods; provision of government

Redistributive Policies
Concerned with changing the distribution of existing resources and with the rearrangement of policies which are related to bringing about basic social and economic changes in the economy and society The government taxes one group of people to provide benefits to another group Income stabilization (unemployment, retirement); welfare policies; Housing policies Some redistributive policies are vaguely defined by law and require administrative expertise and discretion in implementation

Regulatory Policies
Concerned with regulation and control of activities as they seek to alter individual behavior directly by imposing standards in other words, government limits on individual choice in order to restrict unacceptable behavior powerful interest groups are likely to be organized around regulatory issues Law enforcement; business regualtion (prices, fraud, unfair practices, monopoly); limiting access to public goods (air, water, communications); Health and Safety

Constituent Policy
The prime constituent is either the government or nation as a whole National Security, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Intelligence, Diplomacy, Government Service bureaus Massive government organizations Covers 60-70% of government employment