How does one define public policy and what in the world does the “public” have to do with “public policy”?
Public policy eludes to grass root, spontaneous order/emergent order policy that the public demands. Nay, nay. Public policy doesn’t exist. On the other hand, politico policy does in fact exist. The vast majority of “policy” appears, and is due to, the "vision" of a group of politicos and/or appears due to special interests through politico enablers. Stated alternatively, public policy eludes to the plans of the many whereas, in reality, politico policy is the plans of the few.
Political science, at the end of the day, is the altruistic notion that a well informed voter, a voter completely abreast of all issues, votes for the best political candidate that in turns makes public policy decisions in the public’s best interest. Politicos desperately want the public to believe this fairy tale. Does one perpetuate such nonsense -or- does one explain public choice theory which examines special interests, politico enablers of special interests, crony capitalism, and economic rent seeking of taxpayer dollars. That is to say, public choice theory examines how politicos through the mechanism of government build constituency through taxpayer dollars. -Or- as defined by James M. Buchanan of George Mason University: public choice theory is politics without the romance.
Does one really add insight using the phrase "public policy"? -Or- is insight gained with the use of the phrase “politico policy”?
Is it public policy that awards E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University, over $1,500,000 per year in compensation? -Or- is it politico policy that awards such compensation? Is it public policy to award Solyndra millions of dollars in the form of taxpayer financed subsidies or is it politico policy that awards such monies? Is it public policy that causes the existence of lobbyists or is it politico policy that causes the existence? Does a firm receive tax subsidies to locate in a particular state due to public policy or politico policy? (1)
Notes:
(1) College Presidents' Salaries, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 02/03/2010
http://chronicle.com/article/College-Presidents-Salaries/63874
When one considers recent public policy they think of TARP, the stimulus plan, ninety-nine weeks of extended unemployment benefits, Dodd-Frank banking regulation, cash for clunkers, etc.. One should not forget the present public policy and their architects present the entire cabal of recent public policy as in fact being times some multiplier of Keynesian foolishness.
One needs to further consider this statement by Michael Farr [paraphrasing]: "If you pump multiple trillions of dollars of stimulus into a dead horse, even the dead horse will get up and do a couple lapses around the track". However, intuitive became the counter intuitive as the dead horse remained stone cold dead.
Plenty of factors are at work. Expectations set by anti-business rhetoric, the fact that Keynesian stimulus has never worked as advertised, mountains of federal, state, and local debt, etc., etc.. However, one factor that needs examined is a second public policy that exists known as shadow public policy. Shadow public policy are those separate and distinct policies put forth and enacted by non-elected officials, that is, bureaucrats of regulating agencies.
How can non-elected officials create public policy? The two major ways non-elected officials create public policy are when lawmakers create skeleton legislation leaving the bureaucrats to fill in the blanks or when bureaucrats interpret regulation given their own particular ideology or political pay backs to rent seekers [special interests].
What are some examples? Stealth gun control through firearm dealer having to report multiple sales, the justice department crafting rulings on gun rights, right to work rulings and the infamous Boeing's freedom to locate in South Carolina case orchestrated by the Nation Labor Relations Board. Other examples regard boarder enforcement, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers attempting to preempt private property rights regarding water rights, and the EPA creating arbitrary rules such as those regarding coal mining. The list goes on and on.
The odd item is that public policy can find its aim being deflected by shadow public policy. For example, any attempt to jump start the economy through questionable Keynesian policy becomes cancelled out by over regulation of firms, the cost of over regulation to the firm, and the over regulation causing a negative expectation by firms. An ever odder item is that the politicos in power are in fact producing directly or indirectly the shadow public policy that cancels out the effects of their public policy. That is, politicos in power are creating both sets of policies and hence manage to cancel out the overt policy by the covert policy.
