Public Policy - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 688 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Topics: Government Essay Did you like this example? Provide a one paragraph definition of public policy. After researching the term public policy it was difficult to come up with one single definition. Cocharm et al, 1999 define public policy always refer to actions of Government and the intentions that determines their actions. Dye 2000 states that public policy is the outcome of the struggle in Government over who gets what, whatever government chose to do or not to do. Cochorn suggests that public policy consists of political decisions for implementing programs to achieve societal goals. Stated most simple, Peters 2003, defines public policy as the sum of government activities weather acting directly or through agents, as it has a influence on the life of citizens. Upon reaching a good definition of public policy seems to be very difficult. Birkland 2005 concludes that, all the aspects of the definition suggest that public policy affects a greater variety of people 2. Provide an example of both positive and normative sta tements (not the ones provided in your text book! ) A. Positive statements are statements that can be tested or rejected by referring to the available evidence. Example: A reduction in the use of plastic bag will help reduce the risks associated to global warming. B. Normative statements express an opinion about what ought to be. They are subjective rather than objective statements. They carry value judgments. Example: The new HST on fast food is unfair and unfairly penalizes the poorer class of consumers. C. 3. List what you think are the top three policy issues for government today. Indicate why you think they are important. The top three policy issues for government today are A. Health care- Most recently, health care is one of the most popular issues amongst heads of government. Mental health care and the cost associated with treatment are affecting the poorer class of Canadians. It is the government’s duty to provide health care at an affordable cost to ensure citi zens wellbeing. It is a policy issue because the government is struggling to meet the demand for health care. On September 13, 2010, Vieira from the Financial Post wrote an article, stating that there has been a growth in public health spending and had advanced at an annual rate of over 8% over the last decade. However, the government’s income is set to grow at an annual average of less than 4%. In order to meet the fiscal challenges the government must reduce public health spending significantly, otherwise other public spending is squeezed and/or taxes will rise. The is an important policy issue for government because they need to reduce public health care spending and at the same time ensure that residents are taken care of in the best possible way. (https://www. financialpost. com) B. The Environment-Global Warming/ Climate Change- Global warming and its negative effects on climate change are top political issues for government today. Most recently heads of governmen t from many countries met in Toronto to discuss how to reduce the negative effects of global warming. The earth’s temperature is rising because of the amount of carbon dioxide within its atmosphere. This increase of carbon concentration can be linked to economic activities. The amount future of global warming and its effects are uncertain. If the temperature continues rise, the Earth’s climate will change, ocean levels will rise -because of ice melting in the Arctic, low-lying coastal areas will need to be protected against the rising tides by expensive barriers. It is the government’s responsibility to implement policies to help combat the deadly monster. If actions are not put into place now, soon the earth will be of no good to fauna and flora. The Economy/ Recession-. The global recession is taking its toll on the country. Canada’s economic growth and standard of living (as defined by income per capita) are forecast to fall in 2009, and unemploy ment will rise in 2009 and 2010. Worries about the Canadian economy come from weakness in the United States Economy, the country’s largest trading partner. It is important to have a stable and healthy economy. It is the duty of the government to ensure that the economy is healthy by implementing policies Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Public Policy" essay for you Create order

An Unquite Mind by Kay Redfield - 828 Words

The novel â€Å"An Unquiet Mind† starts off describing the life of a young girl, Kay. Early off in Kay’s life she is experiencing traumatizing life events. One of those events is a very close encounter with a plane that flew over the elementary playground very low and â€Å"It flew into the trees, exploding directly in front of us† (12). Early on it seems much easier to see how she developed the mental illness, manic-depressive (bipolar) illness. Also, her father showed signs of a bipolar illness and maybe it could be heredity. Another traumatizing event was when Kay and her family moved to California and the complete shock from the change in background. This switch also leads to Kay drinking before she attends classes for high school. Just at the age of 16, Kay is beginning to see just how much her mood swings are affecting her friends and how the bipolar illness is changing her life. The first D of abnormality that will help to describe Kay’s il lness is deviance. This is how the patient differs from society’s norms. An example that is very clear from the novel is when Kay has an urge for a particular book she wants to read. It starts off normal about wanting one book, â€Å"I ran off to the bookstore to track down a copy of it, which I did.† (42-43) but she leaves â€Å"with at least twenty other books† (43). This is the very deviant from what people without the illness would do. Another event that occurred during the maniac cycle that is deviant is the purchase of a horse for

NEA weathers attack but takes cut Essay Example For Students

NEA weathers attack but takes cut Essay In what has become practically an annual ritual, the House of Representatives passed the 1994 Interior Appropriations Bill in mid-July after staving off an amendment that would have eliminated the National Endowment for the Arts entirelybut not before adopting a measure to reduce the agencys budget by five percent. The initial recommendation by the Clinton Administration to freeze the agencys funding at last years level, along with the budgets of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum Services, was approved by the House Interior Appropriations Committee in late June before being sent to the House floor for a full vote. But by the time the floor debate was over, the proposed $175 million was reduced by a $8.7-million cut to $166.2 million, and at press time the agencys appropriation awaited its fate in the Senate. Shortly before the floor debate was scheduled to begin, Martin Mawyer, president of the right-wing Christian Action Network, sent a letter to all freshmen members of Congress, urging them to strike all funding for the NEA. Mawyer cited an exhibit entitled Abject Art, currently running at the Whitney Museum in New York, and quoted from the exhibits catalog that |abject artconfront taboo issues of gender and sexualitywhich is often deemed inappropriate by a conservative dominant culture. He claimed that the display was mounted with NEA funds, but the agency denied the statement, clarifying that they have funded the Whitney for a variety of programs but not for this exhibit. Debate on the appropriations bill in the full House began with consideration of an amendment offered by Rep. Philip Crane (R-Ill.) to eliminate the NEA entirely an amendment he as proposed for the past three years. Crane supported his assertion that private funding is more than sufficient to support the arts with erroneous statistics, reporting that private giving to arts and culture increased in 1992 by 18 percent over the prior year and attributing the information to the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsels Giving USA survey, apparently overlooking the decimal point in the surveys actual 1.8 percent statistic. After statements opposing the amendment and supporting full funding of the NEA by Rep. Sidney Yates (D-Ill.), Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and other advocates, the Crane amendment was defeated by a 105-to-322 vote. The amendment to reduce the NEA budget by five percent, proposed by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), did not fail, however. The congressman who had offered another successful amendment during last years appropriation debate that froze NEA funding at the prior year level rather than supporting a modest committee-approved increase argued for the cut both in reaction to the Christian Action Network letter and as a means of federal deficit reduction. The amendment was passed by 240 to 184. Formulas for funding Meanwhile, the process for reauthorization of the NEA, NEH and IMSthe periodic extension of the agencies authorizing legislationcontinued on schedule throughout the early summer, though not without its own drama. The House Labor ManagementRelations Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Pat Williams (D-Mont.), discussed the Administration proposal to reauthorize the NEA, NEH and IMS for two years with no substantive changes to the existing legislation at a June 17 hearing, noting that the two-year extension would give Congress the opportunity to more fully review the agenciesparticularly the NEAs implementation of the 1990 reauthorization bill, which included the current decency language as well as new formulas for state funding and procedures for panel selection. The following week, the subcommittee approved a simple two-year reauthorization. Rep. Steve Gundersons (R-Wisc.) amendment to deny any state arts agency an increase in its NEA basic grant if the states legislature reduced its previous years appropriation failed by a 13-to-7 vote, but raised much interest and discussion. Gunderson accused many states of using the increase in federal dollars from the NEA, as legislated during the last reauthorization three years ago, to offset reductions in their own funding for the arts, noting that it was not our intention to shift the burden of funding state arts programs from the states to the federal government. .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .postImageUrl , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:hover , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:visited , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:active { border:0!important; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:active , .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0f6f9ce689246434c16e391dde61353f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The 'how' of funny EssayAt the full Education and Labor Committee markup one week later, the two-year extension was passed, and two amendments introduced by Rep. Richard Armey (R-Tex.) one to eliminate the agency and the other to increase NEA funding to state arts agencies to 65 percent were soundly defeated. However, Rep. Gunderson offered a similar amendment to the one that lost in subcommittee that was expected to be approved, but instead it was once again defeated in the full committee, 24-to-18, when the committee resorted to partisan politics. Although Rep. Williams had indicated support for the slightly modified amendment before the committee vote, he opposed it dur ing the committee mark-up, as did most of the Democrats on the committee, stating that penalizing the states would have unintended negative consequences and would set an unhealthy precedent. A heated debate followed after it became apparent that Williams would not back the amendment, with Republicans suggesting that the Democrats reneged on a deal, Williams characterizing the Gunderson amendment as a Rube Goldberg provision and ranking Republican William Goodling (R-Penn.) wondering if committee Democrats and Republicans could work together. At press time, neither the full House of Representatives nor the Senate had taken up the reauthorization bill. NEA Four get settlement In early June, nearly three years after the NEA Four were denied NEA funding, their lawsuit against the agency was settled out of court after discovery in the case revealed that both White House chief of staff John Sununu and President Bush had pressured NEA chairman John Frohnmayer to deny controversial grants, and the decision was made for political rather than artistic reasons. The four performance artists Karen Finley, John Fleck, Holly Hughes and Tom Millereach will receive their original grants, ranging from $5,000 to $8,000, as well as $6,000 each in compensatory damages and $202,000 in legal fees and litigation costs a total settlement amount of $252,000. This settlement is a complete victory for the artists and a reaffirmation of the importance of keeping partisan politics out of arts funding and other federal programs that support expression, said Marjorie Heins of the American Civil Liberties Union, who served as co-counsel for the artists. The government now recognizes that the four artists were, and are, entitled to the grants that were denied by John Frohnmayer in response to the massive political pressure that was being applied by right-wing ideologues in Congress, the media and the White House itself. Correspondence between President Bush and Frohnmayer, released by the artists attorneys after the settlement was reached, include a note signed by the president after the Washington Times described details of the recommended grants. I do not want to see censorship, yet I dont believe a dime of taxpayers money should go into art that is clearly and visibly filth, Bush wrote. I was shocked by the examples cited in a recent Washington Times story. We have to find a way to preserve the independence and creativity of the arts, yet at the same time, see that in egregious cases such as those mentioned above, the taxpayer will not subsidize filth and patently blasphemous material. The settlement did not address the part of the lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the NEA language requiring that grants be given only to work that conforms to general standards of decencya challenge that was upheld in June 1992 by Judge A. Wallace Tashima, who said in his decision, The fact that the exercise of professional judgment is inescapable in arts funding does not mean that the government has free rein to impose whatever content restrictions it chooses. The right of artists to challenge conventional wisdom and values is a cornerstone of artistic and academic freedom. .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .postImageUrl , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:hover , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:visited , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:active { border:0!important; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:active , .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34 .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud1d18242ed5779a4aa7e98a7855edd34:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bridging the gulf EssayThe Department of Justice, which had appealed the ruling in March, filed its reply brief in late June, continuing to defend the constitutionality of the decency language and to criticize the Tashima ruling. Arts supporters across the country expressed shock and disappointment that the Clinton Administration was continuing to press the case. The next step in the case is the scheduling of the oral argument, which had not been done by press time.

What is a leader an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

What is a leader? In todays highly competitive business environment organizations need leaders rather than managers to gain competitive advantage. Effective leadership is critical for organizations to perform optimally. Sinking businesses have been turned around in a short span of time into profitable ones by great leadership. The best example is that of Chrysler Corporation under Lee Iacocca who converted an ailing auto manufacturer into a very competitive company in a very short span of time. Similarly fairly successful businesses have lost their favorable positions because of poor leadership. One of the most debated topics in management education today is whether leaders are born or made. The importance of leadership has resulted in a large number of studies conducted by prominent social scientists from different parts of the world. The leadership/ managerial grid developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton is a very important contribution to the study of leadership. Need essay sample on "What is a leader?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Leadership is an important function of management and can be defined as the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals (Koontz s personal commitment towards goal achievement, maintenance of the self-esteem of subordinates, placement of responsibility on the basis of trust in the subordinates rather than obedience, provision of good working conditions and maintenance of satisfying interpersonal relations. Students Usually Tell EssayLab writers:Who wants to write assignment for me?Essay writer professionals suggest: Get Academic Writing At Reasonable Price With UsEssay Writing Helper Cheap Custom Writing Service Website To Write Papers Best Essay Writing Service Review The horizontal axis of the managerial grid represents the concern for production and the vertical axis of the managerial grid represents the concern for people. The grid proposes four major leadership styles namely; authority-compliance, country club management, impoverished management, middle of the road management and team management. In the authority-compliance style also referred to as autocratic task style the leaders place great emphasis on the concern for production or task at hand and very little emphasis on he concern for people. This style is driven by results and employees are merely considered as tools to achieve those results. The strength of this style is that it clearly focuses on the objectives or the results to be achieved. The weakness is that the compliance by the followers is because of coercion and not self motivation. The subordinates will just carryout the instructions of the leader and not act on their own. This style of leadership is very effective in adverse conditions like extreme economic slowdown or when a company has collapsed because of the unethical practices of its management and the employees are left clueless as to what should be their course of action to face the crisis. In the impoverished management style the leaders are neither concerned about the achievement of the goals nor are they concerned about the people. Such leaders have minimum involvement in their jobs and act just as messengers between superiors and subordinates. There is no apparent strength of this style and the weakness is that there is no focus on the objectives or the tasks to be achieved and the people in the organization will not be motivated at all. This type of leadership style is prevalent in business units that are in the decline with respect to market share and the growth of the industry in which the business unit is operating. Such a leadership style will be ineffective in any type of business situation. In the middle of the road management style the leaders have medium concern for both production and people. This is a style that is benevolently autocratic. Leaders who adopt such a management style achieve moderate production output by paying moderately adequate attention to the needs of the subordinates. The major strength of this leadership style is that the interpersonal conflicts that are bound to arise in any organization are minimized. The weakness of such a leadership style is that the results to be achieved by the organization is based on arriving at a comprise between the employees. This may more often than not prevent the organization from achieving optimal results. This type of leadership style is effective in business organizations where the situations are temporarily volatile or when the organizations are going through a transition. In the country club management style the leaders have a very low concern for the production, that is the results to be achieved but a very high concern for the well being of the people. They promote an environment in which employees are relaxed, friendly and happy and not too bothered about achieving the results. The strength of such a leadership style is that the managers will very easily earn the loyalty and goodwill of their subordinates. The turnover of employees in the organization where such a leadership style is prevalent will be very low. The weakness of this leadership style is that though it may motivate average workers, competent workers may be demotivated as all employees will be treated the same irrespective of their performance. This will lead to mediocre performance of the entire group. Though such a leadership style may benefit most of the employees all the other stakeholders of the organization such as the investors and the customers will not receive the best perform ance from the organization. This type of leadership style will be effective in situations where it is very critical for the organization to retain all its employees at any cost such as when the demand for employees out weighs the supply in a give time period. It may also be prevalent in business situations where the product or service is a monopoly and there is no apparent pressure on the organization to perform at optimum levels. In the team management style the leaders mesh or balance the production needs of the business organization with the needs of the people by placing strong emphasis both on the concern for production or the results to be achieved and the concern for the people. The strength of this leadership style is that optimum results can be achieved through employee participation. There is a clear and determined focus on the results to be achieved which will ensure that there is optimum utilization of the input resources and at the same time the employees are supported and motivated to achieve those results by providing them the best of working conditions and by providing an environment in which they can give their best. Such a type of leadership style is very effective in situations where the employees can be self motivated and quick results are necessary to be achieved from employees that are highly skilled. The best example can be technology companies that are subjected to rapid change where th ere is a need for highly skilled employees to be highly motivated to give their best to enable the company to respond the rapidly changing market needs. In conclusion it can be said that effective leadership is critical for organizations to gain competitive advantage in the rapidly changing business environment. The leadership/managerial grid developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton can be used as an effective tool in leadership training. It proposes different leadership styles based on two important parameters namely; ones concern for production and concern for people. No one leadership style is said to be the best in all the situations. The effectiveness of the styles of leadership is situational in nature and an effective leader will adopt a particular style depending on the situation that is prevalent at any given point of time. References Koontz, Harold. & Weihrich, Heinz. (2004), Essentials of Management, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, p.36. Northouse, Peter, G. (2003), Leadership: Theory and Practice, California: Sage Publications.