This document summarizes key concepts in agenda setting and policymaking. It discusses: 1) Problems are identified through public perception and must be considered worthy of government action to be validated. 2) Multiple actors like politicians, experts, interest groups, media and the public are involved in shaping the policy agenda. 3) John Kingdon's multiple streams framework explains how problems, policies, and politics interact to create "policy windows" for agenda setting. 4) Agenda setting can follow different models like outside initiation, mobilization, or inside initiation depending on factors like the policy subsystem and public support level.

1. AGENDA SETTING: POLICY
DETERMINANTS, POLICY IDEAS,
AND POLICY WINDOWS
Presenters:
Prakash Regmi,
Md. Mosaddek Hossain,
Mohammed Zahid Akhter
8th March, 2016

2. Introduction
 Public Policy making can be considered to be
a set of processes, including
1. Problem Identification (Agenda setting)
2. Policy formulation
3. Policy adoption
4. Policy implementation
5. Policy evaluation

3. Problems
 A condition or situation in society that causes
people distress or dissatisfaction and for which
relief is sought through government action.
Eg: water pollution, transport problem in Dhaka,
electricity and petroleum problem in Nepal,
poverty, inflation
 Perception on policy problem:
 Eg: for wealthy man, unemployment is not the
problem but inflation
(definition changes as per the value or condition changes)

4. How can problems be valid?
1. People must not consider the situation as normal
or usual. Eg: rape case, child abuse, ragging in
new school/college
2. It is appropriate and worthy of government's
action Eg: betterment for the societies, groups or
a state
3. Condition must be defined as problem and
articulated by someone and brought to the
attention of the government Eg: leader
# a situation is considered as problem only if
something can be done to it.

5. Problem recognition
 Identifying problem is not easy, it should be rather
community or societal based
 It is not a simple mechanical process, but a
sociological one in which the ‘frames’ within which
governments operate and think are of critical
significance. (Goffman, 1974, Schon and Rein
1994)
Eg:
 In context of Nepal
Transportation problems in hilly areas, gender bias,
male domination in working sectors, nominal
female participation in social works, no free health
service

6. Problem recognition
Problems
• Occurs every day
in society and is a
natural process
• Degree of problem
analyzed
• Problem should
turn into issue to
create attention
• Eg: rape case,
black market
• Eg: huge traffic at
office time,
electricity crisis in
winter seasons,
fuel crisis
Discussion
(exchange of
thoughts)
• Identify which are
good and useful
• Which are
adequate and
dangerous
Formation of Ideas
and Ideologies
• Considering as
much as possible
all the policy
determinants
• looking for long
term impact
• Eg: school buses
before 8 AM, rise of
vehicle import tax,
implementing
odd/even vehicles
as per date,
encourage solar
vehicles, design
eco-friendly
wooden stove and
heater

7. Agenda (definition)
Kingdon (1984)…..
 Is the list of subjects or problems to which
governmental officials, and people outside
government closely associated with those
officials, are paying some serious attention
at any given time.
An agenda may be as concrete as a list of
bills that are before a legislature, but also
includes a series of beliefs about the
existence and magnitude of problems and
how they should be addresses by
government, the private sector, non profit
organizations or through joint action by
some or all of these institutions.
John Kingdon
1940

8. Agenda Setting
 Is a stage of policy making process
 Identifying problems and suggesting the
tactical and logical alternative
 Agenda for politics or policy making is created
out of the history, traditions, attitudes and
beliefs of a people encapsulated and codified
in terms of political discussion.

9. Actors involved in political agenda
setting
Many individuals and institutions are involved in
shaping policy agenda, including:-
 Political administrative officials such as Prime
Minister and other Ministers such as Minister of
finance
 Legislators
 Academicians
 Development partners (donors)
 Civil society organizations (NGOs, INGOs)
 The Media as well as the Public

10. Types of Agenda Setting
 Early Univariate Model
 MultiVariate Model

11. Early Univariate Model
It is the traditional model of agenda setting
It considered Economical, technological,
political, social and media as determinants.
Issue
s
Social,
technologic
al,
economic
Condition
Political/
Economic
al Cycles
Government
arises affects

12. Early Univariate Model
1. Economics and Technological Determinism
(The Convergence Theses)
2. Interplay of Politics and Economics (Political
Business Cycle)
3. Ideas and Ideology (Policy Paradigms and
Policy Moods)
4. Interest Groups and Media (The Issue
Attention Cycle)

13. Economics and Technological
Determinism (The Convergence
Theses)
 Problems and issues are originated at the
development level of the society and is
common to other states too.
 The study of Sharkansky, 1971 shows that
Percentage of per capita income
Median education level
Industrial employment
Levels of expenditures
Service outputs in education, health
Technological deficient or
advancement
Eg: Telecom, ATM Cards,
Agricultural Equipments

14. Interplay of Politics and Economics
(Political Business Cycle)
 Established in 1980s
 Economics: is an area of the production,
distribution or trade, and consumption of
goods and services by different agents in a
given geographical location.
The economic agents can be individuals,
businesses, organizations, or governments.
 Politics: Politics is the theory and practice of
influencing people through the exercise of
power, E.g. governments, elections and
political parties.

15. In Theory:
Information and
Recommendati
on
Elected
politician
Decision and
Implementation
Ideal Economist
Unbiased
In Practice:
Economy Politics
Strong Relationship

16. Factors affecting economy and
politics
 Unemployment
 Inflation
 Public investment
 Labor forces
 Higher cost of strikes
 Wages (higher/lower)
 Output
 Social securities
Political scholars came up with
their idea that both political and
economical factors are important
determinants of agenda setting so,
should be studied together.

17. Case of developing countries:
Before Election
Heavy spending
And cut off tax
Inflationary gap
Higher
employment
opportunities
and good
business
condition
High Price
To overcome
inflationary gap

18. Ideas and ideology: Policy
Paradigm and Policy Moods
 Before 1980s – social, economical and
political ideas only
Significant effect on the decision making
Individual Idea
Efforts have been made by economist, psychologist and others to reduce
these sets of ideas to a rational calculation of self interest
Attitude
sbeliefs
tradition
Eg: Koirala’s in Nepalese politics

19. Interest Group and the Media: The
Issue-Attention Cycle
 Examined as a linkers:
 Media coverage of issues and its impact on public
opinion
 Transformation of ground reality to the
government via various modes like newspaper, tv
shows, tv programs, documentaries etc.
 Stimulates government:
 To act on specific issues framed by the media as
actionable and researchable by government
activity.

20. Interest Group and the Media: The
Issue-Attention Cycle
 Provide information to the public
 Influence and shape public opinion
 Link the government and the public
 Act as a watchdog of the government
 Influence agenda setting
Eg: cyber crime, child abuse, poor drinking water
supply, corruption

21. Multivariate Models
 Multivariate Models of Agenda Setting:
 Complex models.
 Univariate model identifies single cause but the
multivariate models identify multiple causes.
 Attempts systematically to combine the
variables.
 More accurate theory of agenda setting.

22. Example
Consumer Interest
groups
& Other NGOs
Governmen
t
Health
Professional
Associations
Scientific Bodies
& Researchers
Food
Industry
Farmers/Commodity groups

23. The Funnel of Causality
Developer of the model-
 1973 - Anthony King in Great Britain.
 1974 - Richard Hofferbert in United States.
 1976 - Richard Simeon in Canada.
Aim:
To capture the general relationships existing
among interests, institutions, ideas, politics and
economic conditions in the process of agenda-
setting.

24. The Funnel of Causality …
 Variables existed within a funnel.
 Each variables was nested within another.
 Factors are involved to create and negotiate social
or policy problems.
 Synthetic model of causality.
 Series of variables:
 Socio economic
 Physical environment
 Distribution of power in society

25. The Funnel of Causality …

26. The Funnel of Causality …

27. Agenda Setting Patterns
 Major breakthrough occurred in early 1970s.
 Scholars such as Roger Cobb of Brown University,
Jenni Keith Ross of Swarthmore College
&
Marc Howard Ross Bryn Mawr College.
 Two types of public agenda:
 Systemic or informal public agenda
(Society agenda, Issues commonly perceived by political
community members).
 Institutional or formal state agenda
(Once a government has accepted that something needs to
be done).

28. Phases of Agenda Setting
 Four Major phases of agenda setting
(Between Systemic and Institutional)
 First initiated.
 Solutions are specified.
 Support for the issue is expanded.
 if successful the issue enters the institutional
agenda.

29. Models of Agenda Setting
Three basic patterns or models of agenda
setting:
 Outside initiation model.
 Mobilization model.
 Inside initiation model.

30. Models …
 Outside Initiation Model:
 Associated with liberal pluralist societies.
 Issues arise in nongovernmental groups.
 Then expanded sufficiently to reach.
 Firstly it is the public agenda and.
 then formally the political agenda.
 Key role is played by social groups.

31. Models …
 Mobilization Model
 Associated with totalitarian regimes.
 The decision makers try to expand an issue
from a formal to a public agenda.
 Issues are simply placed on the formal agenda
by the government with no necessary pre-
considerable debate.
 But the public may be well kept in the dark
about the policy and its development until its
formal announcement.

32. Models …
 Inside Initiation Model
 Associated with corporatist regimes.
 Influential groups with special access to
decision makers initiate a policy and do not
necessarily want it to be expanded and
contested in public.
 This can be due to technical as well as political
reason.
 In this model initiation and specification occur
simultaneously as a group or government
agency.

33. Policy Windows
Policy Monopolies &
Agenda-Setting Styles

34. Model of
Policy Windows

35. Agenda-setting
Three sets of variables
1. Problem Stream
2. Policy Stream
3. Political Stream
John Kingdon (1984)

36. The variables / streams
1) Problem Stream
Refers to the perception of problems.
2) Policy Stream
Consists of experts and analysts examining the problems and
proposing solutions.
3) Political Stream
Composed of factors such as swings of national mood,
administrative or legislative turnover, and
pressure campaigns of interest group.

37. Interaction & intersection of streams
Opening of Window for Agenda-setting
Policy
stream
Political
stream
Proble
m
stream

38. Types of policy windows
Political
Windows
Routinized
political
windows
Discretionary
political
windows
Problem
Windows
Spillover
problem
windows
Random
problem
windows
John Kingdon (1984)

39. Policy windows
1.Routinized political windows
In which institutionalized procedural events dictate predictable window
openings
2.Spillover problem windows
In which related issues are drawn into an already open predictable
window
3.Discretionary political windows
In which the behavior of individual political actors leads to less
predictable window opening
4. Random problem windows
In which random events or crises open unpredictable windows.

40. (1)
Routinized
political
windows
(2)
Spillover
problem
windows
(3)
Discretionary
political
windows
(4)
Random
problem
windows
Degree of Institutionalization & Predictability LowHigh
John Kingdon (1984)

41. Policy monopoly model
Policy
Monopoly
Policy
Subsystem
Social/Political
Problem
Technical
Problem
Policy
Subsystem
Baumgartner and Jones (1991)

42. Agenda-setting style
The central question in agenda-setting
It is not the type of regime involved;
Rather, it is-
1) the nature of the policy subsystem involved
with the problem,
and
2) the level of public support for its resolution.
Peter J. May (1991)

43. Four types of
Agenda-setting style
Nature of
Public Involvement
Initiatorof
Debate
High Low
Social
Actors
Outside
Initiation
(Model/style-1)
Inside
Initiation
(Model/style-2)
State Consolidation
(Model/style-4)
Mobilization
(Model/style-3)
Peter J. May (1991)

44. Conclusion
Agenda-setting is not an automatic phenomenon.
It has lot of variables to depend on.
Emergence of issues depends on the policy windows,
and agenda-setting process very much depends on
the policy subsystem found in the concerned area.
But, ultimately government plays the key role as it
follows different strategies to channelize the policy
discourse in directions they would like them to go.

45. Thank You…