POG 214 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Public Choice, Wicked Problem

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Politics and Public Administration
• Course: POG 214
• Professor: Patricia O' Reilly

Document Summary

How can analysis of the budget be used to understand policy solutions, formulations, and design and policy instruments: general fiscal and economic policy, infrastructure, post-secondary education, climate change. What is the problem: urbanization, transportation, water, etc, aging infratructure, need for new infrastructre, particularly challenging in some cases, very expensive. What are the solutions: new investments (public spending, upgrades and long term planning, more contracting out and p3s, intergovernmental efforts, traditional vs. green infrastructure, new technologies. Tuition support for lower income families (several policy goals: economic policy, labour policy, education policy, social policy. Choosing the most appropriate instrument to deal with a policy problem as it has been defined in order to achieve a given policy goal. Range of actors involved in choosing instruments and designing policies. Process of generating options on what to do about a policy problem: linked to agenda setting. Exploring various options or alternative courses of action related to policy goals.