I have created an assignment that puts you in charge of attending to the long-term health and well-being of the United States of America (!!). Utilizing a simulation created for the Brookings Institution called The Fiscal Ship, you will learn about the relationships that exist between federal decision-makers and the myriad policy decisions they make.

I have created an assignment that puts you in charge of attending to the long-term health and well-being of the United States of America (!!). Utilizing a simulation created for the Brookings Institution called The Fiscal Ship, you will learn about the relationships that exist between federal decision-makers and the myriad policy decisions they make.

Given the dire condition of the federal debt and ongoing levels of deficit spending, you are tasked with no less than saving the country by mid-century!

(Spend a few minutes examining the federal debt by clicking on this link:http://www.usdebtclock.org/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.)

Background

The interplay of governing institutions and the making of public policy is at the heart of what we study in Module 2. As we will see, typically what we “know” about politics and policymaking is pretty far removed from the actual practices of politics. Separation of powers with checks and balances produces the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government; while it does not create coequal branches of government, it does prevent any one branch from dominating the others. These governing institutions are inherently political. They produce policies that allocate relative advantage and disadvantage, meaning that there are winners and losers with every decision government makes. It makes sense, then, that there are forces pressuring these institutions to maximize advantages or to minimize disadvantages.

Americans are raised with a naive kind of assumption that “government should do what’s best for the people,” a notion that ignores the role of political parties, interest groups, powerful stakeholders, and ideological preferences in the policymaking processes. It is true that the American political system works more effectively when bipartisan compromises can be reached. This is so because a sizable portion of the governed feels better represented when such compromises are made. However, today’s political environment offers few opportunities for bipartisan responses to important public policy priorities. The political divide in Washington, DC, is wider today than at any other time in the modern era.

For decision makers, the tool by which they shape policy outcomes is the federal budget. In general, the president of the United States proposes a budget. This proposal pays homage to the promises made on the campaign trail and is broadly reflective of the preferences they bring to office. In general, the Congress disregards this proposal and offers up its own preferences for federal spending. Congressional proposals are shaped by the preferences that dominate the House and the Senate. Every federal agency weighs in on proposals to increase or cut budgets, as do interest groups and individuals attached to the spending proposals. Passing a federal budget is a long, complex, and heavily negotiated process, but there is little regard to its impact on short-term deficits and the long-term debt.

The impact of public policy decisions and non-decisions can be felt in the general health of the economy, trade relations, international relat

Explanation & Answer

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