Implementation

For Thursday, Schuck ch. 9.

For next week (after break), Schuck ch. 10.  For next week's reflection, please send me your suggestions for the remainder of the course, both on content and course format.

Finishing policy selection: 

Rights:

• Private right of action and litigation costs.
• Equality costs:  affluent, educated parties and repeat players (Stone 345) have an advantage.

Expanding the number of people with a perceived stake in the program will increase political support.  Examples?  

But program expansion comes with an implementation cost.

Implementation and TMMP

From the government point of view:  the complexity of joint action (pp. 107-108 of Pressman) and multiple decision points.

Exercise:  assume that there are 10 decision points (way low) and a 90% chance of success on each (way high).  What is the chance of final success?

Government from the point of view of the average person:  the classic set of charts on "Understanding Systems That Affect Families"

In 2013, The Washington Post offered an excellent graphic illustrating implementation problems with the Obamacare website, Heathcare.gov:

A related federalism issue:  implementation usually depends on local officials or regional offices, which may have limited resources or different perspectives (Schuck 236)

Local elected officials have a great deal of autonomy.  LA County Sheriff on masks and vaccines.

Locals may adapt in perverse ways.  See this clip from The Wire, which alludes to one we saw on 8/31 -- juking the stats.

Problems of Regulating Behavior

Mr. Hamilton, meet the Sopranos

Federalist 21:

When applied to this object, the saying is as just as it is witty, that, "in political arithmetic, two and two do not always make four .'' If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. 

Problems of subsidies (including preferential treatment as well as monetary payment)

Perpetuity:  rent control in NYC.

Recipients would have engaged in the desired behavior anyway (Schuck 258).  Example:  carpool lanes.  Jones 2021:

Many cars utilizing carpool lanes are filled with passengers that would have been carpooling regardless of incentives to do so; think of parents taking their children to school, or families going to the store together. Only 10% of carpools in major cities are “induced” by HOV lanes.