Political Science

DQ 1  The Role of Bureaucracies in Policy Making
A bureaucracy is a large formal organization existing as or within government and non- governmental or private organizations, religious bodies and corporate organizations. The president, as head of government, is the chief bureaucrat. Bureaucracies possess similar characteristics in terms of their organizational structure, operating procedures and protocols and regulations. In the traditional view, bureaucracies are not supposed to make policy but rather implement it, as all the members usually have a particular role to play but the affluence such bodies embody puts them in a position to influence the formulation of administrative and economic policy (Saunders, 2000).

Bureaucrats are usually the most affluent people in a society and therefore have the greatest personal interest on the state of matters. Consequently, they operate in a rigid, inflexible and intricate way. This rigidity ideally stands in the way of the formulation of progressive all-inclusive reforms and stifles initiative. As renowned German sociologist Max Weber observed, bureaucracies operate in the spirit de corps in most cases at the expense of the interests of the masses (Kelman, Wilson, 2002). Major policy changes affect the status quo and this is a direct threat to the survival of bureaucracies, therefore they are most willing to put aside all morality and professionalism to protect their interests.

Bureaucracies are in most cases politicized, effectively crippling the operation of public and private institutions. The integrity of governing institutions is therefore compromised and this obviously leads to impartiality of policy making. Obviously, bureaucracy undermines the formulation of progressive policy and tends to protect the interests of a minority clique of individuals and corporations.

DQ 2 DQ2 The influence of public opinion and the media on the policy making process
Since the genesis of modern society as we know it, successive regimes have continuously deliberately attempted to employ the use of public relations, gramophone politics and coercion to take advantage of the governed masses in matters of policy formulation. Powerful individuals have particularly used persuasion to convince the masses to believe in their causes but the emergence of a powerful and free media has bolstered the impact the public has on public policy formulation. The media tentatively makes the masses believe what it wants them to believe, ant therefore the influence of the media and public opinion on matters of policy go hand. It is the media that does the greatest party in shaping public opinion.

In an ideal democratic system, government policy is supposed to represent the preferences of people since the government is only supposed to exercise power on behalf of the people. This, in the United States of America, can be seen in the most liberal states since here, public opinion is more considered (Gerston, 1997). However, it is important to bear in mind that unequal political participation leads to unequal impact in terms of influencing public policy.

The public, through awareness created by interpretation of the media on topical issues is continually clamoring to have their say in matters of policy. Take for example the US policy on immigrants. Every now and then, there were reports of children and other immigrants being illegally smuggled into the country (Saunders, 2000). Many people supported the then administrations policy towards immigrants, but the media adopted a sympathetic stance on the plight of these people. Many people became more sensitive to the circumstances and needs of both legal and illegal immigrants, and the mood of the people prompted the government to relax its policy on immigrants.

DQ3 The role of interest groups in policy formulation
Interest groups have continued to play a very significant role in the development of policy towards most of the sensitive issues facing society. Take for example the debate on whether or not to legalize abortion. Both the pro-abortion and anti-abortionists have adopted different ways of attracting the support from the public, the media, churches and even the government to push forward their agenda. The pro-life crusaders calls for the mercy and sanctity of life and the value with which the society should hold life with while the pro-abortionist dwell on the individuals right to choose and right of privacy. Obviously, both groups have had some success as abortion policy has been defined on a midpoint.

Another example of interest group is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) movement. This is one movement that has drastically altered the publics perception of the people it crusades for and the policy governing their place in society. Through the activism of the LGBT Movement, gay rights have been awarded. There is even talk of same sex marriages being legalized in some states in the country (Kelman, Wilson, 2002).

Through interest groups, the public is able to see from a different perspective the desires of people having different opinions, inclinations and preferences. Interest groups therefore provide a platform on which these differences can be presented and debated upon so that there can be a consensus on what ground is to be ceded by each party concerned. These efforts make people aware and more tolerant of diversity and therefore the resultant accord influences the context of public policy regarding the rights of special interest population groups.