American Institute of Asian Culture News Laboratory
(This article is one of the chapters in the State Council's publication "How the United States is Governed". )
The United States implements a consultative government system, that is, the government is open to the people and listens to voices representing various viewpoints and interests. Therefore, just as the government is gradually developing and changing, so are the organizations that want to influence the government's decision-making.
medium
In the United States, the media is in private hands and is not subject to government censorship. Independent newspapers, magazines, television, radio and other forms of media have a deep tradition in the United States. They openly express various views that criticize and support government policies.
Media has at least three important influences on public policy. First of all, decision makers are always under the supervision of a wide range of news media. Government officials know that almost everything they say and do-even in private-may be made public by the media, so they are reluctant to make decisions or actions that should not be made public.
Second, the media report facts, analyze public policies independently, and let the public know.
Thirdly, the media provides a forum for publishing and broadcasting circles (including readers and listeners) to comment and further influence others, such as editorials published in many large newspapers supporting a candidate running for public office or special articles praising or criticizing a policy.
The above three functions of the media-exposing the behavior of government officials, providing information to the public and supporting a candidate or policy-can not only have a direct impact on the public's decision-making, but also have an indirect impact on the decision-making based on the created public opinion.
Special interest groups/NGOs
Special interest groups are non-governmental organizations composed of people who share the same interests or positions on some public policies, aiming to make a stronger voice in policy debates by pooling their strength. There are thousands of such groups in America, representing almost every conceivable idea. Some groups have a long history and have long been committed to a general goal; Some groups are organizations that have existed for some time to support or oppose a specific policy proposal.
The most obvious special interest groups include environmental protection organizations, elderly welfare organizations, minority protection organizations and free trade policy organizations.
How do NGOs influence public decision-making?
Non-governmental organizations influence public policies and public opinion in many ways, including:
Let government officials and their staff know the advantages or disadvantages of the new policy plan;
Carry out public relations and public opinion activities to publicize their positions;
Mobilize expert opinions, publicize examples, data and opinion polls to support their positions;
Arrange relevant personnel to testify at the hearing of the congressional Committee;
Mobilize the support of their own members, encourage them to vote, reflect their opinions to the representatives of their respective constituencies, and write letters to the media.
Set up a Political Action Committee and donate campaign funds to candidates who support their positions.
Public policy research institutions
Public policy research institutions are sometimes called "think tanks", whose functions are to develop research topics, write articles and publish books, and assist in the argumentation related to public policy issues. Experts from these research institutions are often invited to participate in congressional hearings, and their published works and articles are often cited as arguments to support certain positions and viewpoints.
Although some public policy research institutions are obviously liberal or conservative, many institutions are regarded as authorities on public policy issues. Some famous think tanks that have long played a role in the public policy debate include: Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, American Asian Culture Society, Competitive Enterprise Institute and so on.
guild
A trade association is a member organization that represents the interests of a certain industry or occupation, and aims to reflect the concerns of its members to the decision makers in the legislative and administrative departments. These organizations are also responsible for conveying new policies, regulations and proposals. Give it to members to let them know the new rules they need to abide by.
labour union
Although the main function of a trade union is to negotiate with employers on behalf of its members, it also plays an important role in influencing public decision-making. In any debate involving major issues such as trade, environment, workplace safety and medical care. , will consider the opinions of the trade unions representing the workers' voices.
The influence of trade unions comes from their ability to mobilize members to vote and form momentum. Trade unions are different from trade associations that represent the interests of companies and have relatively limited members; Trade unions are representatives of millions of labor members, and members are voters with voting rights.
Individual citizens and private enterprises
Individual citizens and private industrial and commercial enterprises often form alliances or interest groups to make their voices heard by government decision makers, but sometimes people take actions to influence government decision-making alone ── for example, citizens write letters to members of their constituencies or editors of local newspapers on certain specific policy issues, or participate in hearings and public debates on a certain policy.
Because business activities are greatly influenced by government policies, many companies have government relations offices to represent their interests in Washington. The main role of company representatives is to let decision makers know what impact the new legislative proposal will have on the company, but they also play the following roles: let their companies know about the relevant laws and policies to be implemented, so that the company can act according to the regulations. Provide professional and substantive opinions on the possible consequences of legislative proposals, so as to help legislators formulate more reasonable laws and reduce unexpected results. Capable and principled company representatives can serve the overall interests of their own companies and industries and help the government make more reasonable decisions.
-Bryce Harlow, 1984.
Association of state and local governments
Because the policies of the federal government can have a great influence on the state and local governments, the state and local governments have their own associations, which reflect the voices of governments at all levels, such as state, city and county. The main organizations are:
The main organizations are: National Governors Association; National League of Cities; National conference of state legislatures; National County Association; International Association of Urban Managers; The American Mayors' Conference has a great say in the fields of federal transportation, taxation, environment, education and social policy. Federally funded but locally implemented projects, such as housing, nutrition, medical care, etc. Federal policymakers often consult state and local governments on how to establish and implement these projects most effectively.
political party
There are two major political parties in the United States, namely the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two political parties and some small political parties are important parts of the American political system. Political parties put forward candidates for public office and helped raise campaign funds. Other activities of political parties include: voter education; Understand the problem and investigate public opinion; Provide information about government officials and government activities. Small political parties also constitute the organized opposition that politicians need to face, thus increasing the checks and balances on the government.
Foreign governments and multilateral organizations
The U.S. government is the administrative organ of a sovereign state. Theoretically, it is only responsible to the American people. However, foreign governments may exert influence on American policy. For example, the ratified treaty becomes the law of the United States, and foreign governments can exert influence on the future law of the United States during the negotiation of the treaty.
Foreign governments and international institutions can also influence the United States in other direct or indirect ways. Trade disputes are an obvious example. In the event of a trade dispute, foreign governments can levy taxes on products imported from the United States. Foreign governments may be interested in taxing the products of certain industries or States with political influence, and then hope to cause these affected industries or States to ask the US government to change its policy.
Foreign governments may carry out public relations or lobbying activities through their embassies in the United States, but foreign governments may not provide funds for the election campaign of any federal candidate.
Looking back on the development of famous British think tanks, it is not difficult to find that their success can not be separated from the direct and indirect support of the British government. In 2002, in order to further promote the development and coordination of different disciplines, the British government established the British Research Council, a non-departmental government agency, which is responsible for the allocation of funds and research coordination of seven national research councils, including the Economic and Social Research Council.
South Korea's modern economic think tank began in the 1970s. 197 1 year, Korea Development Research Institute (KDI), the first economic think tank in Korea, was announced. After more than 40 years of development, Korean economic think tanks have formed a pattern with government research institutions as the main body and enterprises affiliated research institutions as the auxiliary, and become an important force active in the political and economic fields of South Korea and affecting the national macro and industrial economic policies.
According to the "20 14 Global Think Tank Report" published by the University of Pennsylvania, Germany currently has 194 think tanks, ranking fourth in the world. German think tanks are mainly divided into academic think tanks, contractual think tanks, propaganda think tanks and political party think tanks, among which academic think tanks funded by public financial funds account for the vast majority of German think tanks. Different from the "revolving door" phenomenon between think tanks and the government in American think tank culture, two-way communication between think tanks and universities in Germany is more common.