Domestic policy

To manage a country involves making decisions. And these decisions articulate the domestic policy. We aim to explain what domestic policy is and how it works.

Today, I want to speak to you about domestic policy. Sometimes it is mistaken by domestic politics, but they are not the same. They are related, but they are different. Here I’m going to discuss what domestic policy is and how it works.

 

Domestic politics and domestic policy

First, to develop this discussion, I’m going to start by describing the differences between domestic politics and domestic policy. Afterward, I’ll be discussing how the domestic policy works. And finally, I’ll be setting forth the interaction between domestic policy and foreign policy.

In a few words, domestic politics is the realm where domestic policy takes place. If you haven’t watched the video on domestic politics, I recommend you to do so. I leave you a card up here with the link.

Insofar as any political community has its geographical boundaries, there is an inner realm. And in this realm, the political authority of this community makes binding decisions that constitute the domestic policy.

Therefore, domestic politics is the space where domestic policy shows up. It determines the specific field where politics develops in a country. In other words, domestic politics is the shape of politics inside a nation, and domestic policy is the content.

That shape is determined by the country’s institutions, rules, traditions, and so on, which organize the whole society. They set the political structure of the country, and in this way, they outline domestic politics. That has a direct impact on domestic policy because it determines politics as a process.

For more information about politics as a process, I encourage you to watch the video that discusses how politics works.

So, the political structures determine domestic policy insofar as they establish who and how makes binding decisions. Hence, domestic policy is not the arbitrary result of some individuals’ wishes, but the consequence of the constraints imposed by political structures, such as institutions and laws. These structures define the dynamic of politics, and by doing so, they also define domestic policies.

And now, it’s time to address what domestic policy is.

 

What is domestic policy?

In any political community, there are always binding decisions. Whoever is in charge of this function, the decisions taken need their implementation. To do so, they adopt the form of public policies. And we call them domestic policies because they are a specific type of public policy that takes place inside the community borders.

Depending on the scope of the government, these policies may encompass a wide range of fields such as economy, culture, education, security, environment, and so on. Then, we have policies for each area, and it means, at the same time, the existence of an executive branch powerful enough to implement them.

Therefore, domestic policies are a set of measures adopted to implement certain decisions taken by the government in its territory. These policies aim to manage specific areas of public interest. Besides this, they are compulsory because the government issued them as laws, orders, programs, and so on. And to execute them, there are enforcement agencies and officials.

Now, it’s time to explain how the domestic policy works.

 

How does domestic policy work?

The way domestic policy works changes from country to country. It depends on their political organization. Their respective constitutions determine who and how takes binding decisions.

However, we can explain certain aspects of domestic policies that are common to all countries.

First, before executing any public policy, there is a decision-making process. It involves different phases such as the formulation, design, and approbation. That’s because any public policy is the result of political activity, and hence, they go through a process of elaboration. So, domestic policies are part of a broader process in the political realm, and they pursue a specific goal.

If political activity leads to decisions that become public policies, it’s necessary to explain how this process develops. The government operates over society, and for this reason, the decision-making process and the implementation of policies are not isolated phenomena. Nevertheless, each country has its rules, institutions, and so on, and because of this, they follow their procedures. But in general, there are inputs from the social environment, and the government transforms them into public policies. In that way, the government produces outputs that change the initial situation.

We can differentiate four stages in this process. First, there is the initiation. In this phase, a problem is defined and incorporated into the public agenda. The second phase is the elaboration, that is when different alternatives are on the table, and there is a choice. The third phase is implementation. And the last one is the evaluation of the policy.

Now, we’re ready to address the relation between domestic policy and foreign policy.

 

Domestic policy and foreign policy

Now we’re going to take a look at the relation between the domestic policy and foreign policy. To do so, we are starting by making clear what both sorts of policies have in common. Next, we will address what their differences are. And finally, we’ll examine how each of them influences the other.

First, both domestic and foreign policies are public policies. Governments formulate, design, and implement them. They also had the same compulsory nature, because they’re not voluntary agreements or transactions, but the result of binding decisions that government officials enforce.

Second, their main difference is the realm in which they’re implemented. Domestic policies aim to regulate national affairs in specific domains. This kind of policy has effects just in the territory of the government who issues and executes it. These effects reflect on the society of that territory.

However, foreign policy operates in a different realm, that is, the international relations field. Consequently, this sort of policy aims to preserve the national interest on the world stage. That means to ensure the country’s safety, which includes its territorial integrity and political autonomy. So, the foreign policy has its effects on the international sphere, and more specifically, on the relations with other nations. By doing so, every country takes part in the global power struggle, insofar as every nation seeks to increase its power to protect its interests.

Now, it’s time to see how domestic and foreign policy interact. That is an aspect of public policy that hasn’t received much attention. Despite that, it’s crucial to understand how politics works. We talked about this on another occasion, so I leave you up here the link if you want to broaden your information on this topic.

In any case, we’ll continue speaking about this subject in forthcoming videos.

In general, there are two possible approaches to this matter. The first one is the influence of domestic policy on foreign policy. And the second one is the influence of foreign policy on domestic policy. So, let’s get cracking on this.

The first approach fits into the classical and neoclassical realism in international relations theory. It consists of stressing the importance of national power to determine the State’s foreign policy. Therefore, those domestic policies aimed to increase national capabilities strengthen the State’s power on the world stage. In that way, the State expands its influence and improves its global position. In brief, domestic policies that enhance the national power entail an expansionist foreign policy.

The second approach provides a different point of view that I have already outlined in another video.

However, I want to mention the main ideas here. First, States are in permanent competition, and due to this fact, there is much at stake because we’re talking about national security. In sum, this is all about survival. Consequently, the external conditions stir up challenges, and every State has to match them with the most suitable foreign policy. Nevertheless, changes in foreign policy involve changes in the inner realm. It means the adoption of new domestic policies aimed to support the foreign policy, and underpin the State’s international position.

For this reason, I dare say the domestic policy is mostly subordinated to the strategic needs of the foreign policy because the State’s existence is at stake. If the State doesn’t follow this rule, it ends up compromising its security. So, changes in the domestic policy are unavoidable in a global context of mutual hostility and power politics.

 

Question of the day

Question of the day! What’s more important for you, domestic policy or foreign policy? Post your opinion in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out.

Bibliography used:

 

Morgenthau, Hans J., Politics Among Nations

Zakaria, Fareed, From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America’s World Role

Vallès, Josep M., Ciencia Política: Una introducción

Gilbert, Felix (ed.), The Historical Essays of Otto Hintze

Gourevitch, Peter, “The Second Image Reversed: The International Sources of Domestic Politics” in International Organiation 32 (4), 1978, pp. 881-912

Putnam, Robert, “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Levels Game” in International Organization 42 (3), 1988, pp. 427-460

Waltz, Kenneth N., Man, the State, and War

Waltz, Kenneth N., Theory of International Politics

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