Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement by Larry N. Gerston

Author:Larry N. Gerston [Gerston, Larry N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Business & Economics, Labor, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781317461661
Google: 7z7fBQAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 24048391
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2002-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

Agenda Building in Perspective

In a representative democracy, agenda building is a critical link to the public policymaking process. By serving as conduits between public issues and policymakers, agenda builders perform the important task of providing decision makers with valuable information. By absorbing such information, public policymakers become aware of the interests of others beyond themselves. Especially if they are elected officials, that awareness can go a long way in helping solidify the connection between policymakers and the voters who put (and keep) them in office.

Of course, just because an issue reaches the public agenda does not mean that public policymakers will do anything about it. After all, what one group or individual identifies as a serious problem may be viewed by another group as a desirable situation. Much like the material that descends through a funnel, agenda-building ingredients all fall into the political laps of public policymakers, who have the task of sifting through competing demands to determine which they should adopt as part of their agenda. They may or may not decide to act, depending upon a variety of factors that we will discuss later. What’s important here, however, is to be aware that there are direct, unfiltered linkages between people and those who act on their behalf. That’s the essence of representation in a constitutional democracy.

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