Discuss agenda-setting as the confluence of three streams of activities. Include the concept of a window of opportunity for legislation development in your answer.
When the problems possible solutions and political circumstances flow together in a favorable alignment a window of opportunity opens. When all three of these things present themselves the window of opportunity opens for a new bill to be passed.
The three streams of activities included in the definition of agenda-setting are problems, a possible solution to these problems, and political circumstances that accompany these problems (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014). In other words, all these factors are interdependent. In the majority of cases, the appearance of a particular problem preconditions alterations in policies or even the creation of new legislation needed to solve this very problem or mitigate its negative impact on the environment. Therefore, when problems, possible solutions to them, and particular political circumstances come together, they create an ideal situation which is also called a window of opportunity (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014).
The appearance of these windows contributes to the creation of a new policy or approach to eliminate the causes which triggered the emergence of a problematic situation. The confluence of these streams of activity becomes fundamental in modern attempts to improve the efficiency of different processes and align the functioning of various organizations. For instance, the majority of laws and regulations peculiar to the healthcare sector exist because of critical issues which emerged from agenda-setting. However, alteration of the existing legislation becomes possible only if there is a potential solution to the problem. For this reason, the combination of the three streams of activities becomes crucial for agenda-setting theory.
Contrast decisions making in the public and private sectors as it relates to selecting from among alternative solutions to problems.
The most pervasive difference between the criteria sets used in the two sectors is in the roles of political concerns and considerations play. Public sector policymaker decisions must reflect greater political sensitivity to the public at large and to the performance of relevant individuals, organizations, and interest groups.
Problem solution could be considered an essential activity regarding the functioning of the majority of modern organizations. There are several basic patterns that are used both in private and public sectors to choose the most efficient solution to the problem and ensure that a final result remains appropriate for further evolution (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014). Usually, considerations related to the choice of a solution include the efficiency of the selected approach, its cost, available sources, technologies, and benefits that could be acquired from one or another method. However, these are mainly similar both in public and private domains.
Therefore, the most significant difference is in the role political concerns might play in decision-making and final results. In other words, public organizations are not able to disregard existing legislation and policies which determine the functioning of the given sphere. It is also crucial for them to preserve the image (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014). At the same time, organizations belonging to the private sector are free to choose from a wide variety of methods that are inadmissible for the public domain. In this regard, the greater political sensitivity becomes the main difference between public and private organizations because of the peculiarities of their functioning and setting.
Discuss the involvement of interest groups in the political circumstances that affect agenda setting. Incorporate the specific ways they influence agenda setting in your response.
Interest groups use lobbying, electioneering, litigations, and efforts to shape public opinion as tactics to seek to influence the policy agenda and the larger public policymaking process to the advantage of their members.
First, it should be said that the influence of interest groups is extremely powerful regarding agenda-setting. The fact is that in the majority of cases agents who can impact particular processes or final results preserve their own interests when making a particular decision. In such a way, they are also able to introduce alterations to different policies and regulations which exist at the moment (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014).
At the same time, various interest groups might use numerous tools to shape public opinion in a way that provides numerous benefits to them and guarantee the needed result. Under these conditions, interest groups create specific circumstances that affect agenda setting and result in the appearance of different problems and solutions to them. These groups also become powerful agents that impact policymaking and stipulate the appearance of diverse tendencies in different sectors (McCombs, Shaw, and Weaver 2014). In such a way, we could observe the interaction between all three essential aspects of the agenda and their impact on the environment.
Bibliography
McCombs, M., Shaw, D., and Weaver, D. 2014. “New Directions in Agenda-Setting Theory and Research.” Mass Communication and Society 17(6): 781-802. Web.