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POS 315 - Public Policy Analysis

This document provides a reading list of 5 books related to public policy analysis and the policymaking process. It then outlines several key concepts in public policy, including definitions of public policy, attributes of public policy, the public policymaking process which involves formulation, implementation and evaluation stages, types and categorization of public policies, actors involved in policymaking such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, administrators and interest groups, tools for policy analysis, and theories of decision making including the rational-comprehensive model, incremental theory and mixed scanning approach.

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157 views

POS 315 - Public Policy Analysis

This document provides a reading list of 5 books related to public policy analysis and the policymaking process. It then outlines several key concepts in public policy, including definitions of public policy, attributes of public policy, the public policymaking process which involves formulation, implementation and evaluation stages, types and categorization of public policies, actors involved in policymaking such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, administrators and interest groups, tools for policy analysis, and theories of decision making including the rational-comprehensive model, incremental theory and mixed scanning approach.

Uploaded by

mye
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Reading List

v Anderson, J.E. (2011). Public Policymaking: An Introduction, Seventh


Edition. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

v Bardach, E. (2012). A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis. Los Angeles: Sage.

v Fischer, F., Miller, G.J and Sidney, M.S. (2007). Handbook of Public Policy
Analysis: Theory, Politics and Methods. USA: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis
Group.

v Olaniyi J.O. (2001). Foundations of Public Policy Analysis. Ibadan: Sunad


Publishers.

v Sapru, R.K. (2004). Public Policy Formulation, Implementation and


Evaluation. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Limited
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

vNations are always confronted with various


challenges or problems

v Governments provide solutions to these


problems through the policy process
CONCEPTUAL ISSUES

v Public policy is not amenable to easy clarification.


The difficulty in explaining the concept is attributable
to the following:

ü Public policy is an omnibus concept;

ü Public policy is multidisciplinary in


orientation.
DEFINITIONS

v Thomas Dye: Public policy is whatever government


chooses to do or not to do

v Chandler and Plano: Public policy is the strategic use of


resources to alleviate national problems or governmental
concerns

v Robert and Clark: Public policy is a series of steps taken


by a government to solve problems, make decisions and
allocate resources or values.
v Professor James Anderson: Public policy is a
relatively stable and purposive course of action
or inaction followed by an actor or set of actors
in dealing with a problem or matter of concern
ATTRIBUTES OF PUBLIC POLICY

v It is a purposive course of action

v A policy is designed to affect a particular “target” population

v Public policies emerge in response to policy demands

v Public policies are actually what governments do, and not


merely what they intend to do

v Public policy may either be positive or negative

v Public policy, in its positive form, is based on law and it is


authoritative.
Public Policy Making Process

The stages include:

q The Formulation Stage

q The Implementation Stage

q The Evaluation Stage


q Formulation Stage
ü Policy actors take decisions about what
is to be done and how it is to be
achieved

ü The forces in the formulation stage


include the individual citizen, campaign
promises and policy agenda, the media,
pressure groups and political parties
q Implementation Stage
ü This comes after a policy has been adopted

ü It is the translation of policy goals into


concrete action

ü The success of the implementation stage is


hugely dependent on the knowledge of what is
to be done and the availability of the required
resources
q Evaluation Stage
ü This is the careful comparison between the
intended outcome of policy and the actual
achievement
Categorisation/Types of Public Policy

Public policy, albeit an omnibus construct, is


not indecipherable. Authors have come up
with different typologies to provide
information about the scope and purposes of
public policies. A very notable categorization
is the one done by Theodore Lowi
q Distributive Public Policy
ü Distribution of resources or benefits to the
segment(s) of the population that need them

ü Usually financed through general tax


revenues

ü Zero-sum game does not apply

ü Intended to fulfill Pareto’s Optimality


q Redistributive Public Policy
ü Deliberate transfer of resources from one
segment of the society to another one

ü Usually financed through the graduated


income tax

ü Zero-sum game applies

ü Intended to achieve equilibrium


q Regulatory Public Policy
ü Imposes limitations on the behaviour of
individuals

ü Provides standards and rules to control the


activities of some groups

ü Relies on deterrents

ü Intended to prevent unacceptable behaviours


Actors Involved in Policy Making
vA number of actors are involved in policy
making. These include:

üThe Executive
üThe Legislature
üThe Judiciary
üAdministrators/Bureaucrats
üInterest Groups
The Executive
üThe Executive is the most important organ of
government

üIt makes general policies and implement laws

üIt decides on which policy problem will receive the


attention of the political system

üIt exercises the power to approve or assent to bills

üIt determines which agency implements which law/policy


The Legislature

üThe Legislature is the organ that makes law

üApproves executive policies and programmes

üAdopts bills as proposals for law

üDebates bills that emanate from other sources

üDetermines the outcomes of critical issues such as state


creation and revenue sharing
The Judiciary

üThrough the process of judicial review

üThrough interpretation of laws

üServing as heads of commissions of enquiry


Administrators/Bureaucrats

üThey assist in collecting and collating relevant data


about policy problems

üThey assist in the preparation of policy proposals

üThey implement executive policies

üThey are also involved in policy evaluation


Interest Groups

üAs structural mechanisms, they generate policy


demands

üThey aggregate and articulate policy demands

üThey are involved in advocacy

üThey help to design programmes/policies


Policy Analysis

üProblem Diagnosis

üPre-Adoption Analysis

üPost-Adoption Analysis
Policy Analysis (Tools)

üCost-Effectiveness Analysis

üCost-Benefit Analysis
Theories of Decision Making

vThe theories of decision making include:

ü Rational-Comprehensive Model

ü Incremental Theory

ü Mixed Scanning
Rational-Comprehensive Model

vThis involves a comprehensive


examination of all issues with the
aim of rationally choosing the
best alternative course of action.
v The sequence of action involved include:

ü A decision on which problem to


address

ü The decision-maker must recognize


that he is in a choice situation

ü He ranks all the available courses of


action logically
ü He determines the cost of each
alternative

ü He predicts the consequences of each


with reasonable certainty

ü He selects one these alternatives that will


help maximize the attainment of goals

ü The selected alternative is adopted and


implemented
Incremental Theory

vThe theory assumes that


administrative decision making
usually involves a continuation of
past policies with the least
possible modifications to suit
changing circumstances.
v The sequence of action involved include:

ü Problem identification

ü An investigation into how similar problems


were addressed in the past

ü Analysis of a few plausible solutions

ü Selection of one that makes real


contributions to addressing the problem
without drastically altering existing
processes
Mixed Scanning

ü Represents a compromise position between


rationality and incrementalism

ü Considered to be superior to the other two

ü It utilizes what is best in the other two

ü It is a flexible instrument of decision


making

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