State and local government decision making: Making decisions is something that state and local governments do regularly. Whether allocating resources or responding to a crisis, government officials must often make quick decisions to keep their citizens safe and secure. This article will explore the three main methods by which state and local governments make decisions: deliberative democracy, representative democracy, and bureaucratic management.
Deliberative democracy is a decision-making process that involves public deliberation and consensus-building. Participants in a deliberative democracy forum discuss an issue until they reach a unanimous or near-unanimous decision. This type of democracy is often used for issues that are considered to be morally ambiguous, such as abortion or gun control.
Representative democracy is the most common form of government in the United States. In a representative democracy, citizens vote for representatives who will make decisions on their behalf. These representatives may be elected officials or bureaucrats.
Bureaucratic management is a decision-making process that relies on rules and regulations to guide decision-making. Bureaucrats use these rules to make decisions in the organization’s best interest. While bureaucratic management is often seen as inefficient, it can ensure that decisions are made fairly and consistently.
Making decisions is an important part of state and local government. It is important to understand the different ways that decisions can be made to choose the method that will work best for them.
