Agenda Setting Process in UK

Agenda Setting Process in UK

Introduction

The agenda setting process in the United Kingdom is an open process where several central actors contribute. The people who contribute in the agenda setting process of United Kingdom are elected politician, bureaucrats, the media and the interested groups.

Agenda Setting and Negotiation Theories

The agenda-setting theory was first constructed by Prof. Donald Shaw and Prof. Maxwell McCombs in their study in 1968, where mass media actually set the plan for general public view by highlighting definite issues. Learning the method political movements were covered in media, McCombs and Shaw discover that the major effect of mass media was the agenda-setting, i.e. advising public not what to believe, other than what to believe (McCombs & Shaw, 1972). Agenda setting is more often than not passed on to as a purpose of media moreover not a hypothesis.

This theory makes clear the correlation involving the pace at which mass media cover any story with the degree to which nation reflect that this account is significant. This association has been exposed to occur repeatedly (McCombs & Shaw, 1972).

Agenda-setting is a three part process:

Public Agenda - matters discussed and individually related to the general public

Media Agenda - matters conversed in the mass media

Policy Agenda - matters that are considered important by policy makers

On the other hand, Negotiation is considered as an essential part of state policy-making procedures as of setting agendas, in order to determine that what matters are to be discussed and addressed by the policy makers, finding solutions, exploring options moreover securing required support from significant parties to make sure that designed policies are prolonged. Negotiations are considered as a medium of stakeholder management and communication in setting agendas (Pienaar et.al, 1991).

These negotiations can play a central role in helping policy-makers to get a better grip of the difficult issues, human dynamics and factors behind significant policy matters. Growing linkages, and the quick speed of transform in the fields affecting significant food and agriculture issues involving economics, governance, trade, and regional as well as international relations, created a better need for skilful negotiators among the experts and policy-makers (Pienaar et.al, 1991).

The Agenda Setting Process in UK

Agenda setting is an important structural element of the negotiations. Defining the range of issues to be debated, the agenda encourages the negotiators to take notes on planned issues. Agenda is a great way to control the course of the negotiations because it makes it very difficult for the opponents to dodge unpleasant to discuss their concerns. If a politician do not want to discuss a particular topic or are not prepared to discuss it, just do not include it in the agenda (Ramesh & Howlett, 2008). Availability of the agenda provides an opportunity to influence the duration of the negotiations. The agenda can be formulated in general terms, without breakdown of the questions.

There are several procedural issues that are associated, which may affect the process of agenda setting. This includes the internal and external political ...