Annual Report: 2002 Committee on Public Policy

Annual Report: 2002 Committee on Public Policy
Judith Goode (Temple University)

This year, we continued our activities in relation to Public Policy Forums, the column entitled Views on Policy in the AN, and the development of the Public Policy Initiative/Center. In addition, we developed a policy for our web page and the Welfare Working Group was the first to use it. In regard to the approaching TANF reauthorization debates, we developed a position paper and an op ed piece which are both on our web page.

Public Policy Forums (PPFs)
PPFs were launched in 2000. There was one forum that year followed by four in the second year. The LRP mandated PPF was on globalization and was entitled The Impacts of Globalization on Gender Inequality and Women's Poverty (see Views on Policy column in AN April 2002). The other columns focused on health policy (American Indian/Alaskan Native Health Initiatives for the Twenty-First Century, IT- Information Technology and the Changing Nature of Work, and education-How Anthropology Should Influence Federal Education Policy (see Views on Policy, AN: March 2002).

We are developing a process for follow-up of the conferences. For example, the Conference on the Environment at the University of Georgia in September 2002 (see below) was a follow up of the first PPF. We will also attempt to use AAAS meetings as a way to introduce some of these events into the larger community.

There are five PPFs in the schedule for the annual meetings in 2002:

One focuses on our featured topic is Information Technology which was advanced one year in exchange with education to take advantage of the fact that the National Communication Association will be meeting simultaneously with the AAA in New Orleans in 2002. There will be several sessions in their program featuring anthropology as well as on PPF which will feature two NCA members. This collaboration will be featured in newsletters of both associations and will lead to collaborative follow-up.

The other two focus on our first priority issues:
Environment (2) Conservation of Marine and Desert Environments, The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan,
Health (2) Bioterrorism, Epidemics and the Future of Public Health, Globalization, Treaties and Tobacco

Views on Policy Column
We went through our first fuill year of the AN column Views on Policy in 2002. Through November, there have been 6 columns in the 8 issues. These include: Policy and Public Engagement:Recent Developments (February 2002), How Anthropology Should Influence Federal Education Policy (March 2002), Public Policy Forums: Lessons from Globalization (April 2002), Anthropology and the American Indian.Alaska Native Health Crisis (May 2002) Update on Welfare Reform (October 2002) and Public Policy Forums at the 2002 AAA Annual Meeting.

At the March meeting, Cheryl Mwaria became the editor for the column beginning in the September issue. Stacy Lathrop, as usual, has been extremely helpful.

Public Policy Initiative/Center
We have continued to work on the proposal for a Public Policy Initiative/Center. At the March meeting, Larry Rzepka was very helpful in pointing out the advantages of housing the initiative at the AAA and in developing a sequence of funded activities that will lead to adequate staffing. We have a new draft that will help us clarify our mission and then will begin to seek funding. Our first two initiatives focus on the environment and health care disparities.

Nominations
We have begun to identify and solicit candidates who work in our six policy areas for nomination to the board. In the last two years, we have sponsored or supported other sponsored candidates for the committee.

Environment Conference
In September 2002, C and A and A and E along with AAA and the Univesity of Georgia sponsored a conference on Environment, Sustainability and Policy Issues for the 21st Century. The conference produced consensus documents for five topic areas which identified research achievements and research needs for the future. This process is being examined for potential components of a model for achieving an anthropological consensus on policy issues in the future PPI/Center.

Topic areas were Water, Agriculture and the Environment, Conservation: Local Knowledge and Management, Conservation: Communities and Livelihood, Environmental Justice and Consumption and Global Processes.

Welfare Working Group
The Welfare Working Group under the leadership of Sandra Morgen developed a position paper on Tanf Reauthorization (aka welfare reform) which was approved by the COPP for posting on our web site. In addition, members of the working group, Jo Anne Schneider, Louise Lamphere and Sandra Morgen wrote an op ed piece to be sent to newspapers around the country. Both are posted on the COPP web page. The op ed piece was placed in at least one newspaper.

Web Site Policy
The need to post material related to Tanf Reauthorization necessitated a policy for approval. Judith Zeitlin spearheaded the approval of this process. At the November meeting, we will formally approve the process.

Working with Sections
Judith Goode attended the Section Assembly in 2001 and will do so again in 2002. Informally we have been working with Culture and Agriculture (C&A)and Anthropology and Environment (A &E) regarding the environment policy initiatives as well as the Council on Anthropology and Education on educational issues and the Society for the Anthropology of North America (SANA) and the Society for the Anthropology of Urban, National and Transnational Anthropology (SUNTA) on welfare reform. One newly elected member is a former SMA board member and will provide liaison with SMA. We hope to identify more sections interested in our initiatives.

*****Special Concerns
This paragraph was included in the 2001 annual report. It still needs some attention. I'd like the Executive Committee member who has COPP in their portfolio to get in touch with me about it. PPFs require some special considerations from the program Committee. PPF participation cannot be finalized by April 1. Commitments from legislative offices and agencies often cannot specify who exactly will be coming. Changes occur at the last minute and yet people want their names in the program. We are also reluctant to ask for registration fees for donated participation from people who are not social scientists and whose expertise is critical to our mission. We have worked this out informally until now. At the March 2001 meeting, the committee unanimously passed a motion to ask the executive committee to exempt policy professionals who share their expertise from registration fees. Should there be an explicitly different procedure regarding flexible deadlines and fees which is publicly announced to would-be organizers and understood by the program committee and staff?

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