Problem Identification and Agenda Setting
Who decides what will be decided? The Power to decide what will be a policy issue is cruci to the policymaking process. Deciding what will be the problems is even more importan than deciding what will be the solutions. Many civics textbooks imply that agenda setting just "happens." It is sometimes argued that in an open plural society such as ours, channe of access and communication to government are always open, so that any problem can discussed and placed on the agenda of national decision making. Individuals and groups, it said, can organize themselves to assume the tasks of defining problems and suggestin solutions. People can define their own interests, organize themselves, persuade others to sup port their cause, gain access to government officials, influence decision making, and watch over the implementation of government policies and programs. Indeed, it is sometime argued that the absence of political activity such as this is an indicator of satisfaction.