Institutions and Popular Control of Public Policy

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Matsusaka
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Popular Control

Charismatic Leadership and Cultural Democracy

1987 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. B. Portis
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Cultural Democracy ◽  
Tangible Rewards ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Popular Control

If democracy in the sense of popular rule is to have a significant degree of realization in the modern world, it will have to mean popular control of cultural meaning and cultural change rather than public policy. While the impact of cultural values on public policy is problematic, there is more at stake in political struggle than specific policies. In fact, the most important personal consequences of politics are thoroughly symbolic, and the symbolic rewards of “cultural democracy” are likely to be more meaningful than the tangible rewards of distributive policies. Although popular control of these meaningful symbolic rewards is possible, such control could occur only through the mediation of charismatic leaders.

Popular Control of Public Policy: A Normal Vote Analysis of the 1968 Election

1972 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
New Deal ◽  
Social Life ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
The New Deal ◽  
Popular Control

The importance of issues in deciding elections changes from one election to the next. As Key has shown, the issues of the role of the federal government in social life helped create the New Deal Democratic majority. In contrast, issues had only a marginal impact on the apolitical elections of the 1950s. Converse's technique of normal vote analysis reveals that issues were again highly related to the vote in 1968. This was particularly true of attitudes toward Vietnam, urban unrest and race, social welfare, and Johnson's performance as president.Yet, even in an election in which issues appear important, some can have very different consequences for popular control of policy than others. On some issues, the electorate exercises no effective constraints on leaders' policy choices. On others (e.g., the escalation in Vietnam), the electorate permits leaders a wide array of options when a policy is adopted and passes a retrospective judgment on such choices in subsequent elections. Finally, on still other issues, the public may limit the options of leaders at the time a policy is adopted. The paper suggests the stringent conditions necessary for this type of popular control to exist.

Public Policy Agenda Adapts to Needs

ASHA Leader ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 23-23
Author(s):  
George Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Agenda
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