Social Construction and Policy Design

Abstract

Beginning in the 1980s, policy theorists turned to a policy design approach that was initially proposed to address the welter of intervening variables that affect the design, selection, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. This chapter addresses the issues in policy design in terms of the social construction of various political groups. It offers an introduction to the general social construction framework, especially how it is integrated into policy design. The chapter presents several propositions of its applications and discusses what advantages it brings to the study of public policymaking. It suggests that a number of areas in which a social construction framework provides insights toward a theory of public policy. Policy designs shape institutions and the broader culture through both the instrumental effects of policy and the rhetorical/symbolic effects. The propositions begin by examining how policy designs socially construct target populations and the consequences of such constructions on the political orientation and participation patterns of target groups.