Applying Framing Theory to Examination of State/Local Government - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Applying Framing Theory to Examination of State/Local Government Pension Issues in Public Administration (34th Annual Teaching Public Administration Conference, Williamsburg, VA, May 17-19, 2011)

Richard A. Wandling Political Science Department Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920 rawandling@eiu.edu

Introduction

• State and Local Government Pensions have

become prominent part of public conversation

– In public administration classes, increased likelihood

• f coverage of this subject by instructors

– From Introduction to Public Administration to upper division courses on topics such as Government Budgeting/Finance and Human Resource Management – Students themselves also likely to have been affected by information on pensions from popular arena of communications

Focus of Conference Paper

• Application of Framing Theory to major sources of

information on state and local pensions

• Presentation also includes prominent examples

from media coverage

• But key objective is examination of information,

analysis and arguments by two key sets of actors in the pensions debate

– Pew Center on the States – National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA)

Media and Emergence of an Issue

• Consideration of some examples of coverage
• f state and local pensions
• Prominent national-level print media, such as:

– New York Times – Washington Post – Wall Street Journal

• Some general properties of coverage emerge

when considering sources such as these.

Major properties of national media coverage

• State/local pensions often portrayed as having
• ne or more of following qualities:

– Significant underfunding of pension trust funds that is likely to worsen as state/local governments continue to make difficult decisions, – Pension funds in precarious financial condition with great risk to current and future generations

• f state and local taxpayers,

Summarizing Media Coverage, continued

– Pension obligations that are too costly to be sustained at existing funding and benefit payment levels, – Pensions as negative legacy of fiscally irresponsible decisions by whole generation of state and local officials, and – Victimization of the taxpaying public in certain instances by calculated gaming of pension rules by self-interested government employees who retire to artificially inflated pension values.

Media Coverage, continued

• Important to note: Preceding summary not

intended as endorsement of assessments— just to introduce media environment facing public, and today’s public administration student

• Consider examples of media coverage

– See PDF file with excerpted passages from New York Times, Washington Post, etc. – Also see collection of recent headlines from Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times

Framing Theory

• Framing theory has been used to study variety of

communication phenomena, such as:

– Popular Culture – Rhetoric of government officials – Political Candidates – Themes in public policy debates

• While framing theory/research includes strong

focus on media, not limited to media studies

– Wide application, and has been used by different science disciplines, including presenter’s home discipline of political science

Defining Framing

• Entman (1993; 2007) as a standard definition in this genre of

scholarship: “We can define framing as the process of culling a few elements

• f perceived reality and assembling a narrative that highlights

connections among them to promote a particular

• interpretation. Fully developed frames typically perform four

functions: problem definition, causal analysis, moral judgment, and remedy promotion….Framing works to shape and alter audience members’ interpretations and preferences through

• priming. That is, frames introduce or raise the salience or

apparent importance of certain ideas, activating schemas that encourage target audiences to think, feel and decide in a particular way “(2007, 164).

Entman Definition

• Elements to consider:

– Four Functions of Framing

• Problem Definition
• Causality
• Evaluation
• Remedies

– Salience – Priming

• These all have relevance to framing of pensions

issue, from problem definition on through how salient the issue might be in the eye’s of typical public administration student.

Framing Assumptions

• Key assumptions and premises of this paper:

– Framing is part of political process, in which political elites pursue their interests; this includes organizational actors. – Framing not limited to media, and political elites and

• rganizations participate in framing processes.

– Particularly from Graber (2004), it is important to consider context of framing (i.e., historical, economic, political,…_).

• Definitely relevant to setting of the pensions issue.

– Although framing has consequences, should not assume that specific framing efforts always work; individuals are capable of independent judgment, with information/knowledge particularly important here.

Pew Center on the States

• Pew Center has played significant role in

communicating strong sense of urgency and crisis relative to state/local government pensions

– A reputation for quality contributions to our political system, including the well-received Stateline.org website.

• Major organizational player in the pensions debate,

primarily through impact of:

– Promises with a Price: Public Sector Retirement Benefits (December, 2007)

Pew Center on the States

– Trillion Dollar Gap: Underfunded Retirement Systems and the Roads to Reform (February 2010). – Also, updates to above substantial reports, specifically:

• Roads to Reform: Changes to Public Sector Retirement

Benefits Across the States (November 2010)

• The Widening Gap: The Recession’s Impact on State

Pension and Retiree Health Care (April 2011)

• Overall Trillion Dollar Gap probably Pew’s most

significant addition to public, political conversation

• n pensions, and most widely cited.

Highlighting the Pew Perspective

• Definitely a perspective evident--one of state

and local pensions in peril, in crisis; with strong and immediate “reform” actions required.

• Hard-hitting assessments, as seen in examples
• f excerpts from report with very eye-catching

title (Trillion Dollar Gap):

• See excerpted passages in supporting PDF file.

Highlighting the Pew Perspective

• Average reader directed toward sense that

major nation-wide problem exists.

– But must be noted that some states fare reasonably well in the report.

• The Negative?

– “Laggard” states – 21 states with less than 80 percent funding of their long-term pension obligations – Kansas and Illinois particularly problematic

• Less than 60 percent funding of long-term liabilities

Highlighting the Pew Perspective

• Illinois figures to show an example from Pew of

what is wrong with state/local pensions (from Trillion Dollar Gap report): – Figures in thousands

• Latest Liability, $40,022,030
• Latest Unfunded liability, $39,946,678
• Annual required contribution, $1, 192,336
• Latest actual contribution, $159,751

Highlighting the Pew Perspective

• In reforms survey, Pew not just providing descriptive survey
• f changes adopted and/or being considered by states

– Pew report embraces particular “reform” orientation as seen in following passage from report:

“Forcing policy makers to responsibly identify the cost and potential funding sources for benefit increases can help states avoid offering unfunded benefit hikes. State and local governments still can offer or increase benefits, but this additional step ensures that costs will be thoroughly considered in advance. Although such reforms will not reduce existing liabilities, they can keep state policy makers from making the funding situation worse.” (9-10).

Highlighting the Pew Perspective

• Drawing from two well-known scholars in the pensions debate

(and critics of the present system), Pew even sees the gap as even wider if a “risk free” standard is used in estimating pension trust fund returns:

“…there is significant debate among policy makers and experts about what discount rate is most appropriate for states to use when valuing pension liabilities. This is an important issue because, depending on how those liabilities are calculated, states’ total funding shortfall for their long-term pension obligations to public sector retirees could be as much as $1.8 trillion (using assumptions similar to corporate pensions) or $2.4 trillion (using a discount rate based on a 30-year Treasury bond). How states value long-term liabilities going forward will play an important role in defining the scale of their challenges and the actions they will have to take to meet them.” (2)

• Also, consider evaluative language from a press release announcing the

recently available Widening Gap report (See excerpted passage in supporting PDF file)

The National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA)

• Various sources of information are available if wish

to consider alternative framing approaches.

– For example, – Center for Economic and Policy Research – National Institute on Retirement Security – Even the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which has issued various investigative reports on state/local government pension funding, investments and benefit payments.

• Focus here is on a major contributor to modern

state/local pensions debate: NASRA

Highlighting NASRA

• A particularly useful source for alternative frame:

– A good place to start: Facts on State and Local Government Pensions

• Fact-sheet with added impact of support from ten high-profile,

respected signatories, specifically:

• the National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of

Counties, United States Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, International City/County Management Association, National Association of State Auditors Comptrollers and Treasurers, Government Finance Officers Association, International Personnel Management Association for Human Resources, National Council on Teacher Retirement, and of course NASRA.

– See supporting PDF file for excerpted bullet points from the fact sheet.

Highlighting NASRA

• An alternative frame emerges in which state and

local government pensions have properties such as:

– Not being on verge of collapse or in crisis condition. – The capacity to deal with economic downturns such as the 2008 financial sector crisis. – Including compelling features such as strong long- term investment returns coupled with public employees sharing in their funding. – Not requiring any form of bailout, including federal government financial assistance.

Highlighting NASRA

• NASRA does not deny problems such as some states

with underfunded systems – Think Illinois here (and earlier Pew reference)

• However, states have been taking steps to address such

issues,

– To NASRA, they are capable of strengthening their systems.

• Overall, NASRA just as hard-hitting in making its case

against crisis situation, as Pew is in focusing on trillion dollar gaps, widening gaps, laggard states, etc.

• Consider congressional committee testimony by NASRA

Research Director (see supporting PDF file).

In Conclusion

• Public administration instructors definitely

should consider information from the Pew Center on the States on the state/local pensions issue.

• However, other sources and perspectives exist,

and these also should be considered to better equip our students for understanding this important and complex subject.