Mind Mapping, Essay Example

Introduction

Public administration encompasses many concepts and divisions, and it is important to capitalize on the strengths of different models to promote successful results for economic growth and change (Shafritz et.al, 2010). The mind mapping model to be considered for this exercise explores a number of critical concepts associated with government and political influence in making decisions regarding the US economy. The mind map addresses two primary theories of economics, ration and incremental. The rational theory often emphasizes Congressional self-interest in a public forum, that which will provide members of Congress with personal or professional benefits for making economic decisions (Vanberg, 2006). However, from the incremental model perspective, decisions are made on a smaller scale, and do not necessarily influence the larger bureaucratic picture of modern government in that drastic changes are not made in an immediate fashion (Vanberg, 2006). The primary focus of this mind map is to evaluate the different elements of the economy as related to public policy, including government-based decision-making at the Congressional and Executive levels.

Equal Opportunity

On the other hand, strategic economic control does not always bring equal opportunity to all persons within this economy, as there is often an unfair advantage that is presented in selecting persons to reap the benefits of economic growth and stability (The Annie E. Casey Foundation). This uneven distribution of wealth introduces other factors, such as ethical responsibility to provide an even platform for all persons to achieve the desired level of economic advantage (The Annie E. Casey Foundation). The United States promotes equal opportunity for all persons; however, the true nature of the modern economic platform is to reward the wealthy and to exclude the poor, even if suggested otherwise. Therefore, it is important to address economic change and the ability of the US government to consider other factors which present variable outcomes to encourage all persons to have an opportunity to gain from the economy.

Pluralism

Economic legislation in the 21^st Century economy also presents other challenges, including sound and reasonable government relations, as well as pluralism. The bipartisan nature of the federal government is designed to encourage the development of improved oversight and compromise regarding issues of critical importance. However, many issues reach a stalemate in Congress and are difficult to negotiate. Pluralism represents the challenges of using multiple platforms and cultural identities concurrently to make decisions on behalf of others in public forum (Kraatz and Block). One advantage to consider is using technology to facilitate efficiency in intergovernmental relations as related to economic issues (Ebel and Yilmaz, 1999). The adoption of Public Choice Theory in this context is appropriate to demonstrate how legislators make collective decisions on behalf of the American people (Shaw, 2008). Furthermore, a pluralist point of view provides further evidence of the capacity of the government to explore a number of theoretical principles, rather than working exclusively under a single principle (Ebel and Yilmaz, 1999). This is particularly useful in public policy frameworks because many ideas are considered and supported by a variety of economic theories and approaches to maximize efficiency in making economic decisions (Ebel and Yilmaz, 1999).

Budget Appropriations and Decision-Making Authority

Finally, from a budgetary point of view, budget appropriations as made by Congress and the President facilitate funding to different public policy organizations, and determine how to best allocate financial resources to best serve the economy in an effective manner. For example, the House Committee on Appropriations is responsible for managing the different elements which contribute to government spending and funding allocations for different sub-organizations and services (Appropriations.house.gov). These efforts provide further evidence of Congress’ critical involvement in making budget decisions to coincide with the support of the President (Approprations.house.gov). In this manner, negotiation strategies are critical to the success of the appropriations committee, and in ensuring that Congress makes decisions that are appropriate for the good of the US economy and its people (Appropriations.house.gov). Congress’ ability to negotiate in this manner is often difficult, yet it is also important to recognize how negotiation may impede real action from taking place. It is the responsibility of Congress and the President to work collaboratively to reach intelligent and ethically responsible solutions that will utilize taxpayer dollars wisely and for the greater good of the United States economy across all communities.

Conclusion

The development of effective economic decision-making is strongly influenced by factors such as pluralism, equal opportunity, ethics, and budget appropriation. The authority to make these decisions impacts economic and public policy, as well as the allocation of resources to different government bodies. These factors influence how economic decision-making is crafted, and how Congressional and Executive leadership must compromise to positively impact economic growth and change.

References

The Annie E. Casey Foundation.Unequal opportunities for family and community economic success. Retrieved from http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/fact_sheet7.pdf

Kraatz, M.S., and Block, E.S. Organizational implications of institutional pluralism. Retrieved from http://icos.groups.si.umich.edu/Kraatz%20and%20Block%20-%20Institutional%20Pluralism.pdf

Shafritz, J.M., Russell, E.W., and Borick, C.P. (2010). Introducing public administration. Longman.

Shaw, J.S. (2008). Public Choice Theory. From The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, retrieved from http://freeuni.ge/uploads/public_choice_theory_by_jane_s._shaw__the_concise_encyclopedia_of_economics__library_of_economics_and_liberty.pdf

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations.About the committee. Retrieved from http://appropriations.house.gov/About/

Vanberg, V.J. (2006). Rationality, rule-following and emotions: on the economics of moral preferences. Max Planck Institute of Economics, retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/colloquia/materials/papers/vanberg_paper.pd