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Anticipatory‐Conjectural Policy Problems: A Case Study of the Avian Influenza
Author(s) -
DeLeo Rob A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
risk, hazards and crisis in public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.634
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 1944-4079
DOI - 10.2202/1944-4079.1002
Subject(s) - influenza a virus subtype h5n1 , work (physics) , population , public policy , process (computing) , political science , economics , positive economics , public economics , law and economics , sociology , economic growth , computer science , medicine , engineering , virology , mechanical engineering , virus , demography , operating system
Rarely, if ever, is the American policymaking process described as being a proactive one wherein policymakers strive to stave off or prepare for problems that have yet to have any substantive impact on a given population. Such problems, or “anticipatory‐conjectural policy problems,” are marked by acute uncertainty and thus demand a reconsideration of many of our fundamental assumptions about the nature of public policymaking. Using the H5N1 strain of avian influenza as a case study, the following work seeks to expand Thomas Birkland's concept of focusing events to encompass anticipatory‐conjectural policy problems. In addition, I will explore the unique agenda setting dynamics of these problems, paying particularly close attention to their definitional characteristics.