Politics permeates all stages of policy creation- “Although there are elements of
rationalism in policy making, the policy process is largely political” (DiNitto & Johnson,
2012, p- 10)- Therefore, social workers/human service workers’ involvement in the
political process of policy making is crucial to client relationships and positions held in
organizations and communities. In other words, it is important to examine political
factors as they come into play du’ing the various stages of the policy process:
problem definition, the framing of policy solutions, policy enactment, and policy
implementation- In this discussion, you will learn how both the rational and political
approach shape bireaucracies and institutions in which social welfare policies are
implemented- You will also focus on how social policy functions as policy orders and
governs social relations between classes and groups through institutional structu’es
such as economy, education, politics, social welfare, etc-
Respond to the following:
Discuss the unpredictable factors that might make it difficult for policymakers to
choose among policy alternatives- The rational approach and the political approach of
policymaking appear to be in conflict- How could the differences be resolved in both
of these approaches?
