| Abstract: | DISCUSSES "THE TREND OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STUDY OF POLICY FORMATION AND THE ROLE THAT SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS HAVE PLAYED AND CAN PLAY IN THESE DEVELOPMENTS." ESSENTIAL TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTEMPORARY VIEW OF THE POLICY PROCESS ARE 3 POINTS. "THE 1ST IS THAT MORALIZING AND GENERALIZING ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS POLICY MAKING." THE 2ND AND 3RD "ARE THAT POLICY FORMATION IS A SOCIAL PROCESS WITH INTELLECTUAL ELEMENTS CONTAINED WITHIN IT RATHER THAN AN INTELLECTUAL PROCESS, AND FURTHER, THAT THE MODEL OF THE INTELLECTUAL PROCESSES INVOLVED IS NOT THAT OF DECISION MAKING." PROPOSES THAT "THE PROCESS OF POLICY FORMATION BE VIEWED AS ONE OF EXPLICIT OR IMPLICIT NEGOTIATION IN WHICH A COURSE OF ACTION EVOLVED THAT WAS A REASONABLE RESOLUTION OF THE DIVERSITY OF VALUES AND INTERESTS. IN THIS PROCESS, A KEY SKILL IS THAT OF FORMULATING AND COMMUNICATING POLICY IN SUCH A WAY AS TO ELICIT THE NECESSARY SUPPORT." A STRATEGY OF RESEARCH IS OUTLINED, AND IT IS CONCLUDED THAT "IF WE ARE TO IMPROVE THE POLICY PROCESS WE WILL HAVE TO EFFECT THESE IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF ESSENTIALLY THE SAME SYSTEM OF NEGOTIATION THAT PRESENTLY EXISTS." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
