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The Political Appraisal of Employment Policies*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Richard Rose
Richard Rose
Affiliation:
Public Policy, University of Strathclyde
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Abstract

Because employment is a problem of public policy, it involves elected politicians as well as economists designing policy instruments. The political appraisal of economic policies is necessary and often decisive in the selection of government policies. It first considers what we mean by saying that employment is a public policy problem. Secondly, it considers two attributes for appraising policies: political desirability, and economic effectiveness. In the third section alternative models of choice in conditions of uncertainty are presented, depending upon whether or not there is consensus among politicians about political desirability, and whether or not there is consensus among economists about the effectiveness of a policy. The concluding section considers conditions for integrating political and economic appraisals in government decision making.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , July 1987 , pp. 285 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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