A Study on the Policy Formulation of FMLA in the U. S. A.
Author: Lee-Joy Cheng
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law on February 5, 1993. The eventual promulgation of FMLA represents the culmination of eight years of conflict and compromise; hence, the law constitutes an excellent case study of a family policy that became embroiled in partisan conflict. After first describing the problematic features of the law in its historical context, this study goes on to examine the partisan compromises made in Congress and the efforts of various interest groups to influence the passage of FMLA from the policy formulation perspective. This paper argues that the nature of the family and the workforce in the U.S. has changed dramatically in recent decades, and that despite this, no new legislation addressing the different needs of the family and the workforce is planned. Rather, this study concludes that no single theory alone is enough to explain FMLA’s passage; only a combination of insights from economic, political and ideological perspectives will allow us to grasp the whole picture of FMLA’s policy-making process in the U. S.