S W 323K Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Developing Political Strategy and Putting it Into Action in the Policy-Enacting Task
Political strategy – sequence of actions and verbal exchanges that advocates believe will
increase the likelihood that a proposal will be enacted.
Determining a position:
1. Initiate their proposal
a. Affirmative position
2. Change others’ proposals
a. An amending position
3. Oppose others’ initiatives
a. An opposing position
b. A blocking position
4. Assume no role
a. A bystander position
Bystander role – they believe the lack of power to influence the outcome, want to save their
political resources for a future issue, believe their involvement in deliberations will antagonize
one or both sides in the controversy or expect to assume a mediating role later.
Establishing some objectives in the policy-enacting task:
• Determining a position
• Selecting the extent of policy changes
• Selecting a time frame
Force-field analysis – a development in social science and it provides a framework for looking at
the factors (forces) that influence a situation, originally social situations. It looks at forces that
are either driving movement toward a goal (helping forces) or blocking movement toward a
goal (hindering forces)
Grounding strategy in current realities in the policy-enacting task:
• The power distribution
• Identifying contextual factors
• Past stances
• Vested interests
• Cohesion of likely opponents and proponents
• Situational realities
• Adapting strategy to the setting
• Developing alternative scenarios
• Selecting a strategy
• Revising the strategy
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Document Summary
Chapter 11: developing political strategy and putting it into action in the policy-enacting task. Political strategy sequence of actions and verbal exchanges that advocates believe will increase the likelihood that a proposal will be enacted. Determining a position: initiate their proposal, affirmative position, change others" proposals, an amending position, oppose others" initiatives, an opposing position, a blocking position, assume no role, a bystander position. Establishing some objectives in the policy-enacting task: determining a position, selecting the extent of policy changes, selecting a time frame. Force-field analysis a development in social science and it provides a framework for looking at the factors (forces) that influence a situation, originally social situations. It looks at forces that are either driving movement toward a goal (helping forces) or blocking movement toward a goal (hindering forces) Grounding strategy in current realities in the policy-enacting task:
