MPA Comp Exam - PADM 5010 (Public Administration & Society)100% correct answer

MPA Comp Exam - PADM 5010 (Public Administration & Society)100% correct answer Collective Action Problems (CAPs) 1. Problems that arise because individuals act in a rational self-interested manner. 2. When individuals cooperate and work as a group, the group will be better off but the individual may not be. In fact, the individual may be worse off than if they pursued their own interest. Thus, individuals have an incentive/reason to pursue their own interests. 3. Deciding between public vs. private interest 4. "[W]hen individually rational actions produce outcomes at the group level that do not appear to be very rational" (Bickers and Williams, 2001: p61). 2 Consequences of CAPs 1. Inefficiency (1st order problem) 2. Inequity (2nd order problem) Efficiency 1st order problems No wasted resources Graphically = Any point on the Production Possibility Frontier/Chart (PPF) Trade-offs/opportunity costs exist Be careful defining, need to know context of the topic (e.g., agency inefficiency vs. program vs. employee; whose preception - citizen, govt. agency, nonprofit, oversight, program director, receipient) Reality = always some sort of inefficiency, goal is to produce as little as possible Inefficiency Wasted Resources Any point inside the curve on a PPF Chart Equity 2nd order problems 2 categories: (1) procedural, and (2) substantive Procedural Equity Processes Legal terms = procedural due process 2 Critical Procedural Equity Issues Facing Public Administrators Fairness Equality Procedural Equity & Fairness Individuals should not be treated arbitrarily or randomly but by objective standards (i.e., legal system/rule of law) Fairness does not always equal equality Procedural Equity & Equality Application of law; not applied in any type of irrational, discriminatory way All people should be treated equally unless we have a good/rational reason not to treat people equally (e.g., driving, voting, and drinking age) Equality does not always equal fair Substantive Equity Outcomes Legal terms = substantive due process Given a societal output, how are the outputs distributed/re-distributed? 3 Categories: (1) Horizontal, (2) Vertical, and (3) Intergenerational Horizontal Substantive Equity Equals treated equally, even in terms of outcomes Ex - Flat tax; toll roads Vertical Substantive Equity Un-equals treated differently The difference is what justifies/rationalizes the reason for being treated differently Ex - Progressive taxes; public transit; financial aid eligibility; veteran preference; affirmative action) Intergenerational Substantive Equity Deciding how much future generations will pay for today's CAPs Public Interest vs Individual Interest Public - group defines benefits; group enjoys benefits but individual may not Private - individual defines cost/benefit; individual enjoys benefits; self-interest/individual preferences Key question facing Public Administrators (PAs): What is the Public Interest? 2 Types of Solutions to CAPs 1. Planned 2. Unplanned 2 Key Mechanisms to Solve CAPs 1. External Rules - used to constrain behavior and effect Collective Action (CA) 2. Individual Preferences - used to motivate CA 4 Sources of Solutions to CAPs 1. Hierarchies/governments (planned; external rules constrain; created to sovle CAPs) 2. Markets (unplanned; individual preferences) 3. Community/culture (unplanned; external rules; CAPs solved with reciprocity) 4. Self-governance (planned; individual preferences; EX - nonprofits or HOAs) Generic Solutions to CAPs (Bickers and Williams, 2001) 1. Repeated interaction between individuals (i.e., tit-for-tat strategy) (Strength: small, local scale) 2. Voluntary Cooperation (i.e., Robert Putam's "social capital") (Strength: voluntary, potentially less expensive; Weakness: not enough to solve CAPs) 3. Coercion (i.e., a government's legitmate use of force through taxes and regulations) (Strength: more effective than voluntary cooperation; Weakness: expensive; doesn't always work) 4. Institutions (i.e., co-production) Objectives of Government (Mintrom, 2012: Table 4.2, p57) To Promote: 1. Human flourshing 2. Effective Insitutions 3. Efficiency 4. Sustainability 5. Human RIghts 6. Social Equity Role/Purpose of Government (Dr. Collins lecture Fall 2016) Solve CAPs Improve efficiency and equity Deliver good/services Regulate the behavior of actors Attempt to change individual preferences and behaviors Correct market failures (i.e., problems with efficiency and equity) Types of Government Solutions to CAPs 1. Deliver Goods/Services (e.g., educa