Chapter 4: Understanding the Policy Process

Summary

The resolution of many community problems is linked to political processes. Public policies may both create the context for community problems and offer a strategy for solving them. Two frameworks for viewing community policymaking, the Rational and the Dynamic Interest Group Models, are discussed. A case study involving utility rates illustrates the policymaking process and its relationship to community functioning. Particular attention is paid to the behavior of policy actors, factors that may influence their actions, and the consequences of their behavior. The role of public policymaking in prevention is discussed.