ALLEN C.

CATIPAN
09176596444
20170012990@my.xu.edu.ph
 THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF
PROBLEMS

In politics and the policymaking process, problems

are socially constructed. Humans, as well as
democratic governments, are problem solvers.
Many of human history's social and technological
advances were solutions to claims problems.

EXAMPLES:

·VACCINATION IS A SOLUTION TO COVID-19

VARIOUS

·ELECTRICAL LIGHT IS A SUPERIOR SOLUTION TO

GAS LIGHTS

·INTERNET IS ALSO ON THE SOLUTION TO THE

PROBLEM POSED BY DISTANCE

At the same time, many social issues remain

that people believe should be addressed.
Problems must be defined by someone; they
are not self-evident. Just because something
exists in the world, such as poverty, illiteracy,
racism, disaster, or bad weather, does not
mean that people will rush to define the
problem and come to an agreement on how to
solve it.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Because services are required to alleviate public problems
that are not or cannot be addressed by private actors,
government action is required. Private actors are public
goods that can primarily be provided by government actors.
While, in the popular mind and often in reality, economic and
social conservatives advocate for limited government activity,
these conservatives believe that there are certain public
goods that should be provided by government, such as:
·Regulation of securities markets
·Road building
·National defense
·Public safety

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
The process of defining problems and selling them to a large
number of people. Problems can be defined and depicted in a
variety of ways, depending on the goals of the proponent of
problem prediction, the nature of the problem, and the
political debate. The term "social construction" refers to how
society and the various competing interests within it structure
and tell stories about how problems occur.

Deborah Stone: problems are defined using Symbols,

Numbers, and Stories about causes. Must persuade people
that a problem exists that can be addresses
CONDITIONS
AND
PROBLEMS
A condition is a situation about which little can be done
and which can also develop over time into problems
because citizens or some professionals are constantly
attempting to turn things that we think of as conditions
into problems that we can realistically attempt to solve.
Weather is an example of something that exists that we
have no control over and that the government cannot fix.
A problem is a situation in which something can be done.

Conditions become problems viz a viz:

 SYMBOLS

What is a symbol?

Is anything that stands for something else. It

depends on how people interpret it, use it, or
respond to it. In politics is full of symbols, some
perceived as good, others as bad, and still others as
controversial. Some symbols are obvious; the
country Flag for example is generally respected.

How are they use as rhetorical device in a

policy advocacy?

How might the same symbol be received

differently by different people?
Deborah
Stone: stories
and symbols
Causal Stories
An important aspect of public policy storytelling. These
stories attempt to explain why a problem or an outcome
occurred. They are important in public policymaking
because depicting the root cause of a problem strongly
suggests a solution. Stories about the causes of problems

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 N U M B E R S A S I N D I C A T O R S
O F P R O B L E M S

Numerical data is frequently used in debates and

controversies to make their points. The number of
people living in poverty, the average amount of taxes
paid to the government, and the number of people
killed or injured as a result of various hazards are all
included in these figures. Numbers appear to be more
accurate than anecdotal evidence in policy debates,
which makes their use appealing.

» We count things to know more about them

» Numbers reveal problems when compared over time
» Some statistics aren’t always accurate
- Does the census accurately count people?
- Do crime statistics accurately reflect crime rates?
» Do statistics measure what the claim to measure?
- Does GDP measure well - being?
- Do education test intelligence?

» Misuse of the median versus the mean

» Misleading charts and graphs
» Numbers and date are not neutral information
- They require interpretation
- Interpretation varies with the interest of the
stakeholders