Public policy

Had Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Delano
Roosevelt been able to view the presidency of the modern era, it is likely that
he would not recognize the office he once held. The modern-day presidency
employs a multifaceted and powerful array of tools. The media, agencies,
departments, public relations, advisors, and pollsters function to provide the
president with a wide variety of data-collection tools and policy promulgation
vehicles that help to influence public policy and the public policy process.

Many of the rules, responsibilities,
and functions related to the presidency have changed over time in ways that
paralleled the growth of modern society. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano
Roosevelt could never have envisioned space travel, the Internet, the global
economy, or nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. Today, the modern
presidency recognizes such realities of modern life. The presidency must
continue to develop a policymaking apparatus that is both relevant and
responsive to the environment in which it governs.

You may wish to consider specific
presidencies in framing a response to your assignment. Take into account
developments that have occurred under recent presidents in the realms of
technology, commerce, health sciences, and other areas.

Pay close attention to public policies
that have been blocked or promulgated by the executive branch. Select a recent
public policy issue that either has been blocked or promulgated by the
president.

Consider what actions were taken to
block or promulgate the selected public policy issue and why it was promulgated
or blocked.

The Assignment:

Write a 4- to 5-page, double-spaced
paper in which you do the following:

• Describe a recent public policy controversy where
  the executive branch demonstrated its ability to block or promulgate the
  policy.
• Briefly explain the roles, responsibilities, and
  functions of the presidency that allowed the president to promulgate or
  block the specific policy you selected.
• Explain what the executive branch did to either
  block or promulgate the policy and why.
• Include three additional scholarly resources
  published in the last three years, in addition to citing this week’s
  Learning Resources.
• Cite all resources in APA format.
• Anderson, J. E. (2015). Public policymaking: An
  introduction (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
• Chapter 2, “The Policy-Makers and Their
  Environment” (pp. 41–60)
• Chapter 4, “Policy Adoption” (pp. 161–179)
• Bettelheim, A. (2002). Presidential power. CQ
  Researcher, 12, 945–968.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Jacobson, G. C. (2011). Legislative success and
  political failure: The public’s reaction to Barack Obama’s early
  presidency. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 41(2), 220–243.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• The American Presidency Project. (2014). Executive
  orders. Retrieved from http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/orders.php

Media

• Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). Legislative process
  [Interactive media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

  Note: Please click on the following link for the transcript: Transcript (PDF)