ABSTRACT
Decision-making is a task in policy-making involving the selection of a course of action. It involves selecting from among a range of possible policy options, including simply maintaining the status quo. Policy scientists use a variety of models to capture the dynamics of public policy decision-making. They categorize decision-making into three main types depending on the extent to which information is known about likely policy outcomes. The first model is the "rational" decision model which attributes primacy to logical reasoning and evidence. Two of the better-known models used to understand decision-making in the real world include "incremental" and "garbage can" models. The "incremental" decision model analyzes public decision-making as a time- and information-constrained process characterized by conflict, bargaining, and compromise among self-interested decision-makers. Decision-making in the public policy world is about "policy selection", or choosing and officially sanctioning one or more of the alternatives developed in policy formulation.
