Monday, April 2, 2007

Ch 17 - Policymaking

Respond to the following:

What is meant by fragmentation? How does fragmented government affect the creation and implementation of public policy?

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

fragmentation is branching out or dividing in to smaller sections. The fragmented nature of the American political system gives interest groups better and more numerous points of access and ofcourse "influence". it also makes policy making easier because as the branch becomes specific it can concentrate on issues that are only related to the branch, becoming more efficient.

Flag said...

Framentation is when a single problem is attacked by several policies. This causes confusion and disorderlyness. A governemnt that is run this way eould be very disorginized and have a hard time implementing and enforcing polocies. Therefore all polocies should be branch specific and very specific as to what it is dealing with

Grecia said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem may be attacked in different and sometimes competing ways by the government for many reasons. federalism and the separation of powers contributes to fragmentation by creating multiple center of powerd; which result s in conflicts, so no one controls policymaking. although the policies conflict with others in some way fragmentation is efficient becauseit is often the result of competing goals espoused by different parts of the govt.

Ava said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem is attacked in different ways by the government. Fragmented government affects the creation and implementation of public policies in many ways. Some say that fragmented governments do not work in cross-functional teams, which makes action more difficult and less flexible. High government fragmentation can undermine government efficiency because of its large number of decision-makers and units of government. This also can lead to the preservance of a status quo in public policy making, which is not good. Also fragmentation leads to less centrality and decisive action when implementing and enforcing the created policies. Others argue that fragmentation allows the flow of ideas and allows more than a few people to assist in policy making. They also say that fragmentation decentralizes government so that more groups have a way to influence public policies.

Jessamyn said...

Fragmentation occurs when a problem has several different proposed solutions/goals that may compete with each other. The three branches of govt are fragmented, so each group tries to gain influence within the policymaking process. This affects policymaking by allowing each branch to customize policies to each branches' specific needs.

Kyle said...

fragmentation refers to attacking a problema in many, and sometimes conflicting ways. This complicates the creation and implementation of policies in several ways. First, two government programs that are meant to do the same thing may have to compete against one another to do it for federal funds and such. Second, the policy might not attack the root of the problem, due to the fact that we cannot know exactly what each and every program will do. What we might see as a new "symptom" if you will, may actually be a "side effect" of another program, and cause the experts to "misdiagnose" the problem. Third, the policy statement that is issued when the issue is either tabled by congress or "cleared up" is extremely vague, leaving room for interpretation of what they meant. They do this to please everyone. it may be interpreted as being one thing now and another several years down the road. Fourthly, this fragmentation rarely leads to an actual solution to the problem that the policy is trying to set. It will lead to varied reports and much finger pointing, but very little action against the problem, due to said fingerpointing and the accusations that usually arise from it.

Kyle said...

fragmentation refers to attacking a problema in many, and sometimes conflicting ways. This complicates the creation and implementation of policies in several ways. First, two government programs that are meant to do the same thing may have to compete against one another to do it for federal funds and such. Second, the policy might not attack the root of the problem, due to the fact that we cannot know exactly what each and every program will do. What we might see as a new "symptom" if you will, may actually be a "side effect" of another program, and cause the experts to "misdiagnose" the problem. Third, the policy statement that is issued when the issue is either tabled by congress or "cleared up" is extremely vague, leaving room for interpretation of what they meant. They do this to please everyone. it may be interpreted as being one thing now and another several years down the road. Fourthly, this fragmentation rarely leads to an actual solution to the problem that the policy is trying to set. It will lead to varied reports and much finger pointing, but very little action against the problem, due to said fingerpointing and the accusations that usually arise from it.

Unknown said...

Fragmentation is basically when a single problem is dealt with many different interest groups and viewpoints, each trying to accomplish their own goal. This leads to increased inefficiency since someone has to spend time trying to connect all of the sides together and coordinate gov't together in general. It also supports a pluralist system of govt since it allows a single group to have power over the silent and uninformed majority.

Unknown said...

The textbook defines fragmentation as the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different and sometimes competing ways. The way I see it, fragmentation can be seen as a postive AND a negative result of our government. However you look at it, fragmentation makes the pluralist model flourish. Some may argue that trying to solve a problem in many ways is a good thing; after all the saying goes two heads are better than one. Having different branches and levels of government tackle a problem has the benefit of getting more people involved, but fragmentation can also just lead to overlapping confusion, and a lack of actually getting things done. If two groups are both trying to solve a problem, but they each want it done their way, the competing forces could result in nothing getting accomplished. Problems are only solved in our fragmented government through compimise.

Sammy B said...

Fragmentation is defined as "in policymaking, the phenomenon of attacking a single proglem in different and sometimes competing ways" Basically, since the government is divided amongst the three branches, and then from there divided even further, a problem that arises can be resolved through the implementation of various subcomittees and groups. This supports the theory that our government is pluralist government, since the breakdown of powers allows interest groups to thrive. Fragmentation affects policy making because there are multiple "units" working to solve an issue, yet these "units" may not always agree on how things ought to be done, resulting in a lack of a solution. Yet Fragmentation could be beneficial (depending on your view point) because there is a large amount of people working for a "common goal", and ideas and movement may flourish under the right circumstances. I, personally, don't view Fragmentation as being beneficial since politics play a primary role in how things are accomplished, thus what should be done gets pushed aside for ulterior motives.

Ashley G said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem is attacked in different ways by the government. Fragmented government systems makes policy making easier. Fragmentation is also said to decentralize government and give easier access to special interest groups.

matt cassi said...

Fragmentation is when one problem is dealt with in different ways. It helps public policy in that each branch can focus on what they want and not what every other branch wants. It hurts public policy in that each branch might have a different solution which would cause conflicts.

Ford Lautenschlager said...

Fragmentation is when the government attacks a problem in several ways, which may compete against one another. Fragmented government can make creating and implementing public policy more difficult since everyone has differing opinions. Though it can make decisions more difficult, as long as all sides can come to a comprise a fragmented government allows for better decisions to be made and helps to preserve a pluralist form of democracy.

Victoria S said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem is attacked in different, sometimes competing, ways. It pulls the government in different ways and allows each branch or level to create a unique policy that satisfies its own needs.When the different policies conflict with one another the different levels of government must compete for its own policy to rein supreme.

elyse said...

In policymaking, fragmentation is when a problem is attacked in different and sometimes competing ways. This affects our public policy because there are many different interest groups and different parts of our own government, that will attack problems from many different viewpoints and try to gain favor and popularity of their idea. Fragmentation makes public policy complex and sometimes hard because there could be many committes or agencies whose jurisdiction overlaps on certain issues. Fragmentation also makes implementation difficult because it seems there is not one clear answer for the public policy issue because there are so many competing groups with their own solution, which makes it hard and it takes longer to actually move a policy into operation. This policy can also be viewed as beneficial because it decentralizes government and follows the pluralist model of democracy.

Unknown said...

Fragmentation is the division of government into tiny competing interests and influences controlled by various branches of government, a reflection of the pluralist nature of the American government. Fragmentation can lead to greater cooperation between groups wishing to promote their own goals by compromising, or it could cause division in government. It can cause benefits in that policies are overseen by more than one agency. Fragmentation affects the creation and implementation of policy in that funding is divided and that goals are attacked from a multi-angled approach. It allows for specialization as well among the branches.


It is also a type of grenade.

Mike Beatty said...

Fragmentation is one of the many ways that demonstrates how great out system of government works. It is when 1 problem or idea is attacked or approached by various ways from different branches of government. This can sometimes lead to confusion but also leads to many ideas tried and the best one can be found.

Katie said...

Fragmentation is the phenomenon in policymaking of attacking one problem in different and often competing ways. This makes policies unresponsive to the public as a whole at times, and complicates the already complex public policy issues. Also fragmentation highlights overlapping of federal agencies and their "turf wars." Although fragmentation is part of both federalism and pluralism and can be frustrating at times, it also ensures that many different groups are involved in policymaking and no one entity completely controls the policy.

Alyssa and Mason said...

Fragmentation is the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different and sometimes competing ways. The affecting the creation and implementation of public policy confusion and disorderlyness is created. THis is not effective and would cause much difficulty.

rydizzle said...

Framentation is when a single problem is attacked by several policies. Framentation is when a single problem is attacked by several policies. Fragmentation leads to decentralize government, thus giving easier access to special interest groups.

Emily Colleen said...

Fragmentation is when a single policy problem can be attacked in different and competing ways. The government does this for many reasons. Authority is divided among the national, state, and local levels of government. These powers are the main component of plurlaist democracy. Fragmentation results in the competing of goals brought about by different parts of the government. This can cause much confusion. However, fragmentation can decentralize government and give better access to special interest groups.

Emily said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem is attacked in different ways by the government. Common responses are to coordinate the formation of interagency task forces or to reassign jurisdictions among the agencies within the executive branch. Over its history, Congress has repeatedly made efforts to promote greater coordination among all its disparate, decentralized parts. Unfortunately, due to the power of individual committee chairs, it is difficult for the House and Senate to make significant reorganizations of their committee systems. The policy fragmentation created by federalism may be solved when an industry asks the national government to develop a single regulatory policy. Often, the alternative is for that industry to try to accommodate the different regulatory approaches used in various states. Although an industry may prefer no regulation at all, it generally prefers one master to fifty.

alexis said...

fragmentaion is the idea of a single problem being attacked by different branches of govenment. Fragmented government affect the creation and implementaton of public policy that it is sorta messy. It does get the government focus on one problem, but it has too many ways of solving them. If they just settle down and agree or communicate. It would let everyone know the benefits of each plan.

Alex Walker said...

Fragmentation is when one problem is dealt with in different ways by the government. Government fragmentation refers to the dispersion of centralized government power to multiple, lower units of government. Fragmentation of government can lead to either the cooperation within the government, or to the division of government. Public policy is effected by the fragmentation of government both positively and negatively. On one end of the spectrum, fragmentation can cause government to be unproductive and inefficient because of the many different opinions that are offered. On the other hand, it also allows everyones voice to be heard and also promotes partcipation in the decision making of public policy.

Anonymous said...

Fragmentation is defined as the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different sometimes competing ways. Fragmentation affects the creation and implementation of policy due to the separation of powers in government, the lawmaker's opinion on the issue, as well as competing interests. For example, the most beneficial way for Federal, State, and Local government to address an issue might vary so the approach to solve said issue will in turn be different, and could possibly interfere with other approaches.

zwhittle said...

Fragmentation is when a problem is approached in many different ways. Fragmentation is not always bad but is sometimes difficult to reach a consensus about a policy issue. With so many agencies, committees, and departments involved, a broad response is usually the most successfull. Fragmentation allows for all the voices concerned to be heard and is fundamental to a pluralist government.

Kelley said...

Fragmentation is when a single problem is attacked in different ways. To some this could be viewed as confusing but others as a way to view all forms of opions.

Stephen H said...

Fragmentation is when government deals with a problem in more than one ways to see which policy will bring the best result. Fragmented government works best because you get many different sides to one problem. If affects creation of public policy because all branches must work together to come up with the best solution to a problem. If government did not work this way then it would give one branch more power over the other two.

Scott Fitz said...

Fragmentation is the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different and sometimes competing ways. The result of fragmentation on public policy is that it creates many varying policies that could be used.

Killian said...

Fragmentation is defined as the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in diffrent and sometime competing ways. This means that for every problem that occurs in government there could multiple ways to look at it. It can aslo be said that this is the heart of American government. Our entire government is set up around the seperation of powers between the three ruling bodies, the Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches. In essance our entire government is fragmented. In some ways this is a good thing. This causes all sides of an issue to be looked at and considered by the policymakers. It helps to ensure that the best possible outcome is reached when implementing policies designed to combat the problem. However, it can also be a bad thing. Having a fragmented view of an issues creates friction between the policymakers. This in turn can greatly slow down the whole process as each diffrent view of the issue must carefully considered. Sometimes they can all get fed up with each others bickering and the problem not only remains unfixed, but could even become worse! In any event fragmentation is imperative to the American style of government and in my own opinion it is a great way to see the diffrent problems.

Ronette Q. said...

Fragmentation is the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different and competing ways. Fragmented government affects the creation and implementation of public policy by having many ideas and solutions and attacking it in the best way possible. I believe that this method works best because different levels and point of views work on an issue[s], and with different facts and ideas, they work for a common goal and get things done fairly.

Heather G said...

Fragmentation, in policymaking, is the phenomenon of attacking a single problem in different and sometimes competing ways. Having mutiple bodies of the government results in different policies. Fragmentation often causes confusion because many different points of view are offered about a single issue. Fragmentation of policymaking is the fundmental nature of government in America. The seperation of powers divides authority among all the levels of government. Different gorups try to influence different parts of the government, so no one fully controls policymaking. Fragmentation can hinder policymaking because there are conflicting views on issues; it can also allow opinions to be negotiated and joined together to form one whole idea. Fragmentation allows different points of views to be sorted out, therefore continuing and preserving the pluralist form of democracy in America

James said...

Fragmentation is the process of solving a problem through multiple approaches that can sometimes conflict with each other. Fragmentation results in a variety of groups competing to influence the government, with no single group controlling all policymaking.

jenni and adam said...

fragmentation is the act of attacking a single problem in different and sometimes competing ways. this leads to a decentralized government. some say this makes policy making complicated but others see it as a way to formulate more opinions and options.

Grebe said...

Fragmentation occurs when there are several solutions or plan of actions for a certain problem. While this can cause a certain amount of confusion, it allows for more than a certain set of people to participate in policy making. Some say it causes decentralization because of the competing solutions, while others claim that breaking into interest groups and different branches allow for a more diverse way of looking at policy.

Rachel said...

Fragmentation is when one problem is attacked by several different ways by the government. It can cause a weak and disorganized form of government because they will have a harder time enforcing laws. Some people see it as a way to have more opionions and options.

Tim M. said...

fragmentation is when a single issue in government is competed over and attacked different ways by differnt groups in government. Frgamentation makes it harder to create and agree on a public policy to implement, but it makes the final issue more effective and efficient. It gives each different group a say on what they want in the creation of the policy and then a combination of ideas can be used for the implementation of the policy.

Kala said...

Fragmentation is when one problem is attacked by the govt in different ways.With fragmenatation interest groups are given the opportunity to give many ways to access and influence an issue. Also, framentation can also hurt public policy because different levels of government might have conflicting ideas for the public policy that might be conflicting.

Wetz said...

Fragmentation is the process of trying to solve a problem by looking at it in several ways. Different groups competing to influence the government all have different solutions. This division makes policy making complicated, but, at the same time, provides the diverse outlook on different policies.

Beth said...

Fragmentation occurs when there are many different solutions or goals for one problem. There are three branches of goverment which are fragmented, and they each tackle a problem in thier own way( usually because of self-interest. Policy making is thus affected, because each branch is allowed to make the policy(or influence it) to fit thier own needs.