Policy Making Cycle

Stages of
Policymaking Process

Anita L. Luclucan

 Policy

is a decision-making framework or course of action to achieve a desired effect or change.” In the context of the public sector, policies support political purposes by Government or administrative directions by organizations in response to the changing world around them.

Policy can:
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Be broad and visionary.
Set direction.
Express standards, behaviours, and expectations to guide actions.
Be a concept or stated position of intended outcomes. Be a statement of principle.

Policy can take a range of different forms, including non-intervention; regulation, for instance by licensing; or the encouragement of voluntary change, which includes the grant of aid; as well as direct public service provision.

 Policy-making

◦Is defined as the process by which governments translate their political vision into programs and actions to deliver 'outcomes' - desired change in the real world.
 Thus

policy-making is a fundamental function of any government.

 To

provide a starting point to help those working on developing or reviewing policy to identify what issues they need to take into account to ensure that policy is evidencebased, focused on outcomes, forward looking, 'joined up' and meets regulatory/statutory requirements.

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The process of policy-making is not a high science, but it is difficult to do well. As in any process, there are tools and techniques that can help in doing the job more effectively. Public policy operates in an extremely wide environment. Governments have obligations to, and are answerable to the public. Policy-making often requires a department or the administration as a whole to strike a balance among a wide range of competing interests without losing sight of the desired policy outcome.

 According

to Paul A Sabatier (1999, p.
3), the public policymaking process
”… includes the manner in which problems get conceptualized and brought to the government for solution; governmental institutions formulate alternatives and select policy solutions; and those solutions get implemented, evaluated and revised.” Agenda Setting
◦Agenda setting is the process wherein problems, issues and concerns of the health sector are identified and clearly defined  Issue Identification
◦Publicized demands for government action can lead to identification of policy problems. ◦Attention that prompts the need for government action.
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 Policy

Formulation
◦Policy formulation is the process of transforming an agenda into policy
◦Policy proposals can be formulated through political channels by policyplanning organizations, interest groups, government bureaucracies, state legislatures, and the president and Congress.
◦Development of possible solutions; consideration of several alternatives

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Policy Adoption/Legitimization
◦Policy adoption is the process by which the approving authority decides for the approval of the policy.
◦Policy is legitimized as a result of the public statements or actions of government officials; both elected and appointed—the president, Congress, state legislators, agency officials, and the court. This includes executive orders, budgets, laws and appropriations, rules and regulations, and administrative and court decisions that set policy directions.

 Policy

Implementation
◦Policy implementation is the process of carrying out or executing the policy.
◦Policy implementation includes all the activities that result from the official adoption of a policy. Policy implementation is what happens after a law is passed. We should never assume that the passage of a law is the end of the policymaking process. Sometimes laws are passed and nothing happens!

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Policy Evaluation and Change
◦Policy evaluation and monitoring is the process by which policies are assessed using a set of parameters to determine whether it should be continued or terminated ◦ A step which is often disregarded in the policy process ◦ What were the policy’s goals ?
◦ Were they were achieved?
◦ What are the impacts ?
 direct vs. indirect
 short-term vs. long-term
◦ Try to establish a feedback loop into the policy process 1. Preparation: Prepare well for changing policies. Conduct the necessary research to get to know as much as possible about the issue.
 2. Planning: Plan carefully for policy change. To ensure that your overall strategy makes sense, and that changing policies is a necessary and appropriate part of it, strategic planning is essential.
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3. Personal contact: Establish or maintain contact with those who influence or make policy. Personal relationships, even with opponents, are the key to successful advocacy of all kinds, and changing policy is no exception.
4. Pulse of the community: Take the pulse of the community of interest to understand what citizens will support, what they will resist, and how they can be persuaded. You will have a far greater chance of success if you set out to change policies in ways the community will support, or at least tolerate, than if you challenge people’s basic beliefs.

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Positivism: Where you can, choose tactics that emphasize the positive.

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Participation: Involve as many people as possible in strategic planning and action. Try to engage key people, particularly opinion leaders and trusted community figures, but concentrate on making your effort participatory. That will give it credibility.  7.

Publicity: Use the media, the
Internet, your connections, and your imagination to keep people informed of the effort and the issues, and to keep a high profile.

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Persistence: Policy change can take a long time. Monitor and evaluate your actions to make sure they are having the desired effect, and change them if they are not.

THANK YOU!