Public Administration and Public Policy: The Contemporary Role of Agendas - Research Proposal Example

The paper "Public Administration and Public Policy: The Contemporary Role of Agendas" is a wonderful example of a research proposal on politics. The contemporary role related to agendas in the area of public administration involves setting up and implementing policies for efficient governance. Public administrators are often faced with numerous challenges that require the implementation of policies to tackle such issues. The agenda in this context involves establishing a list of concerns or issues that require public consideration at a given time.

In this regard, agendas are influenced by a timeline, politics of the day, attention from policymakers, and further, the set agendas are bound to change over time. The role, played by administrators in terms of setting agendas includes involvement in the process particularly, at critical stages (Thomas, 2010). The success of implementing public policy requires engagement by public administrators through the sharing of ideas from various branches of the government, which facilitates learning between the administrators.

The learning process requires distinguishing routine agendas from systemic agendas since, governmental agendas may involve a list of significant societal concerns termed as, systemic agendas. Routine agendas in this sense, involve standard procedures and ideas related to the government, and for purposes of implementing governmental policies. The variance of a match or lack of it in relation to routine and systemic agenda provides administrators with clues for a response to public settings. In addition, such clues determine the extent to which public administrators engage actively on the agenda content within the government or respective agencies (Terry, 1999).

Public administrators concerned with the role of implementing policies have the responsibility for analyzing the roles aimed at arriving on positions related to governmental agenda and policy alternatives to respond to various issues. The role of setting an agenda entails a constant review of issues that are redefined in relation to the competing interest among policymakers. On the other hand, setting agendas in public administration provides a basis to review secondary issues raised by other participants for purposes of initiating policy reforms.

Agendas in the public arena mainly play the role of finding solutions to policy problems or challenges. The challenges may require administrators to shift from old paradigms and focus on strategic approaches for initiating a response to the prevailing challenges. By setting an agenda, administrators are able to share ideas necessary for establishing an appropriate mechanism for implementing policies. The common agendas observed by various governments in contemporary society include the public, governmental and parliamentary agenda (Aucoin, 1990).

The role of public agenda involves, reviewing policy issues affecting the public in general and looking at alternatives to redress the problems impacting on the public. Any issues related to the public agenda must address the problems affecting the citizens, and the problems may range from pollution, overpopulation, among other problems within the public arena. On the other hand, a governmental agenda, serve the role of determining an appropriate solution to problems arising from the public agenda.

Further, the role of the government by setting an agenda serves the purpose of implementing policies appropriate to enact changes regarding issues affecting the public. Through a governmental agenda, public administrators are able to identify and discuss the concreteness of the raised issues for purposes of implementing appropriate policies to solve such problems (Deborah, 2011). In summation, the parliamentary agenda, serve the role of identifying the appropriate policies brought by the government for the legislative purpose.

Policies developed by the government require approval from the legislature prior to implementing such policies to effect changes in the public domain (Deborah, 2011).