Define the role of government in public policy - Research Paper Example

The Role of Government in Public Policy and Media In 1776, the founder ical economics Adam Smith said (Smith, 2007, pp. 533-534 the sovereign has only three duties to attend to; three duties of great importance, indeed, but plain and intelligible to common understandings: first, the duty of protecting the society from violence and invasion and other independent societies; secondly, the duty of protecting, as far as possible, every member of the society from the injustice or oppression of every other member of it, or the duty of establishing an exact administration of justice; and, thirdly, the duty of erecting and maintaining certain public works and certain institutions which it can never be for the interest of any individual, or small number of individuals, to erect and maintain; because profit could never repay the expense to any individual or small number of individuals, though it may frequently do much more than repay it to a great society.

” Adam Smith’s statement can be interpreted to mean that the role of government is in the area of defense, administration of justice, public works, and in building and maintaining institutions in the public interest. It is easy to interpret the first three: government’s role is in defense, justice, and in public works. However, the fourth can have several interpretations. In any case, much of economics has maintained that market is far more efficient than government in allocating private goods and services---provided that the goods or services have no externalities or additional benefits or harm (Rosen, 1995, pp. 61-89). Supposedly, there are also public goods which can be in the best interest of the public that government provides.

However, much of economics has said that although government has a responsibility in making public goods or services available, the government can mobilize the private sector to produce the goods or services. Thus, this is the rationale for privatization and public-private partnerships: to make available certain goods and services that would be in the interest of the public to make available. On the other hand, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Bentham Mill, and Jean Jacques Rosseau emphasized a social contract between rulers and the ruled (Gaus & Kukathas, 2004, p. 23-24). However, given the possible variations of feasible interpretations that can be made on the statement of Adam Smith and given the range of needs that the ruled can demand on rulers on what constitute their obligations as rulers, the role of government in public policy can be anything that the public has successfully asserted politically.

Of course, economists can talk of efficiency but as was proven in the great depression of the 1930s and in President Obama’s bailout of firms in the recent or ongoing US crisis, the government is able to intervene in the economy when there is a clamor for it: especially when government and society is under a threat of crisis. Media provides a voice for the public and, in the absence of large-scale protests and demonstrations, the voice of the media is assumed to represent public sentiments as elections take only periodically or after several years.

In contrast, issues arise every day on 24 hours/7 days-a-week basis. Hence, media’s position is interpreted to be the public voice, the public sentiment. Government responds to the clamor of the media which are taken to be the voice of the people, especially in situations where elections cannot be held on the subject for decision. However, is the power of media over government absolute? The answer: this is not the case as the media is dependent for its income on advertisers’ support. The advertisers’ support comes from companies and corporations.

Thus, essentially, it is not the media who is powerful but the corporations and companies financing the media through advertising support. With the development of the internet, media has been shaping government policy but every minute and hour of the day. Nevertheless, media has a responsibility to the public precise because it can create and unmake society and shape and unshape governments. The potential with which media can shape or reshape government policy endow media of a responsibility to serve the public good and advance the cause of truth so the principal in the social contract, which is the public, can have the means to compel its agent, the government, to serve public interests.

ReferencesGaus, G. & Kukathas, C. (2004). Handbook of political theory. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Rosen, H. (1995). Public finance. 4th Ed. Chicago: Irwin. Smith, A. (2007). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations (Original: 1776). Amsterdam: MetaLibri.