Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2026
Subjects
Public policy (Law) -- United States, Common law -- Political aspects -- United States, Policy sciences -- Philosophy, Legitimacy of government -- United States
Abstract
Public policy in common law democracies such as the United States is dictated by many factors, which you might call streams or strands. While on the one hand the vox populi may insist on a certain action, governing coalitions of political leaders may deign another direction, or policy researchers may conclude a third option is better yet. All such options, however, are constrained by the legal parameters of governance as defined by constitutional, statutory, and case (jurisprudence, or stare decisis) law. Where these streams meet, public policy actions which are popularly supported, politically advantageous, technically effective, and (importantly) legal may occur. Where one of these streams diverges, you may see policy fail in any number of ways. It may simply not occur because the political will is not present, it may be deemed illegal or be otherwise confined by law, or it may fly in the face of what the voters want. In any case, we can consider public policy within common law democracies through the lens of a quadruple helix. Each of the strands above provides some aspect of DNA for good, effective, possible, and legal public policy. If all intersect, we find good policy. Where one strands RNA does not intersect with the others, we find ruptures which could be considered cancerous to governance in that they fail to address some aspect of what is expected of them.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44592
Citation Details
Rothschild, Bradon J., "Home Rule, Dillon’s Rule, and the Legal Shape of Local Governance" (2026). National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports. 21.
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44592