ABSTRACT
This chapter explores scholarly contributions regarding what values are inherent in policy design and how those values are constructed and believed to affect the targets of public policy. To this point, the focus of policy design theory has been how to analyze policy content, and what effect, if any, such content has on the participation of targeted groups. But the area of policy studies known as the narrative policy framework, is quickly demonstrating that there are distinct and effective patterns in policy design. Scholars describe the process of policy design as deliberate and manipulative, not a rational response to public problems. Policymakers often use symbols and language to craft policy to maintain existing narratives and the status quo. For most of these scholars, policymakers, analysts, and even other scholars should be more involved in accounting for the diversity of views shared by citizens affected by particular policies. One practical solution to this dilemma is the notion of more citizen involvement.
