Policy Dynamics and Change

Unit 7:
Policy
Dynamics:
Change,
Failure, and
Success
Lecturer: Nkosingiphile Mkhize
(Qualification/s: Ph.D. (UJ), MA degree (UJ), MA
degree (Masaryk University, Czech Republic),
PGDip (UJ), BA Honours (UJ), BA Degree (UJ)
1
After this lecture, you should be
able:
• Explain the factors or drivers of policy change
• Analyse and assess the reasons for policy

success and failure
2
1.
Introduction
Society is a living organism with

needs, demands and preferences
that continually change.
Society as a complex system is

forever trying to reach a
satisfactory level of stability or
equilibrium but is rarely realised.
An ever-changing environment
may cause the gap between the
policy system (government) and
society to widen to such an
extent that the system collapse. 3
1.
Introduction
• It is also possible to change
policies on paper while effecting
no real social change.
• People in organisations may resist
policy changes, or there is no
implementation framework.
• Policymakers are confronted with
questions such as:
• Why do people need policy
change? How can people facilitate
policy change? And what are the
issues involved in policy change
management?
• How policymakers can ensure not
only policy change but also policy
sustainability.
4
• 2.1. Changing Environment:
• The forces in the social, political,
cultural, and technological
environments put pressure on
policymakers to change.
• Policy change is a reaction to
2. changing problems or defects in the
status quo.
Factors/Driver • Policymakers who ignore influences
s Of Policy from the specific environments (i.e.
Customers, regulators, supporters,
Change and competitors) or the general
environment run the risk of being
outpaced by realities;
• If they do not change public policies to
keep up with the changing reality
(reactive) (E.g. Eskom).
5
• Pre-emptive or proactive policy
change is when policymakers predict
environmental changes and decide to
adapt their policies timeously or
beforehand to prepare for these
events (water scarcity in SA).
2. Factors/Drivers • 2.2. Changes in Values and Public
Of Policy Change Opinion
(Cont’d…) • Changing values, perceptions, belief
systems, and behaviour shape public
opinion.
• Public opinion shapes and influences
public policy.
• The media is a dominant force.
• International public opinion.
6
2.3. Changes in Sectoral
Needs in Society
For example, societies
may demand jobs,
Governments must deal
better health care,
with new needs and
integrated development
demands from society.
planning and good
governance.
Technological changes
ICT already in primary,
created new demands
secondary and tertiary
for mobile computer
schools.
networks.
7
Society demands put pressure on the policy
makers to bring change.
2.3. E.g. High unemployment, existing labour policies

may fall short of addressing critical labour issues,
Changes in and government may shift from capital-intensive
to labour-intensive projects.
Sectoral
Needs in 2.4. Changes in political leadership
Society
(Conti’d…) Drastic policy change is when one party is
replaced by another as the ruling party. (E.g.
Democratic party took over from the Republican
Party in 2008 and Obama made major policy
changes).
8
2. Factors/Drivers Of Policy Change
(Cont’d…)
• In SA when Mandela took over from F.W. De Klerk in the 1990s.

• After elections new political leadership presents itself by
announcing policy changes.
9 • When Mbeki took over from Mandela, he announced a “policy
of delivery”, meaning the government had to start implementing
policies.
• New bureaucratic elites are party loyalists whose task it is to
transform party policies into government policies.
• When Zuma took over from the Mbeki-led group changes in
political and administrative positions occurred across
government.
• Simultaneously change took place on important policy issues.
Zuma replaced Mbeki’s denialist
policy on HIV/AIds and introduced
anti-retroviral medical interventions.
2. 2.5. Changes in Policy Solutions

Factors/Driv or Service delivery Strategies:
ers Of
Policy The conventional wisdom suggest
Change that government should be the main
provider of goods and services.
(Cont’d…)
However, the 20th century have seen
a change in this wisdom.
10
(Cont’d…)
The change was facilitated by a lack of financial resources
and technological sophistication in government.
A new view suggests that government should be less

active in the production and delivery of goods and services
and more involved in the facilitation of service delivery.
Alternative strategies includes:
Outsourcing, privatisation, corporatisation, public-private

partnerships, lease agreements.
11
(Cont’d…)
• 2.6. Changing nature of institutions:

• The 21st century institutions will be less bureaucratic,
and less formal and move to smaller and efficient units.
• Institutions are downsizing staff contingents and
redefining their core business as a reaction to
diminishing resource bases and the development of new
communications technologies (e.g. call centers).
12
(Cont’d…)
• 2.6. Changes in Resource availability

• The availability of resources for solving problems, especially
during an economic slump.
• Strict fiscal discipline is required.
• A reduced resource base imposes reduced expenditure,
which necessitates more savings, more efficiency and
effectiveness in operations, and scaling down government
services delivery and capital expenditure programmes.
• E.g. The MTEF adopted by the Ministry of Finance is a
strategy to plan more systematically ahead over a longer
period.
13
3. Policy Failure and Success
• 3.1. Bad Policy Design:

• A defect in policy design (a lack of clear objectives,
disagreement over objectives, inaccurate targeting of
policy programmes because of incorrect causal
linkages that were assumed, or bad planning).
• Examples include grandiose schemes with wrong
prioritisation or little practical application (independent
stadiums, international airports etc.).
• The policy design error may also be found in
ideological blueprints that are too rigid, leading to
appropriate policies (For example ujamaa in Tanzania)
14
3.2. Bad Luck
Bad luck, referring to external, unavoidable

and sometimes unforeseeable reasons for
failure outside the control of the policy
maker.
These include natural disaster, wars, regime
changes, financial disasters, a weak
international economy etc.
Bad Policy implementation????:
“Bad implementation” is the major obstacle

to effective progress with regard to
development in developing countries.
15
3.3. Bad Policy implementation:
(Cont’d…)
• This refers to a lack of sufficient financial
resources for implementing policies as envisioned;
• A lack of sufficient human resources (people,
expertise, and experience);
• A lack of material or technological resources;
• Defective management or organisational cultures
that obstruct policy implementation;
• A combination of these implementation defects
normally results in a general lack of policy
implementation.
• If resource constraints affect policy design, the
whole policy system suffers from a serious
systemic incapacity to draft policy plans and
transform policy rhetoric into visible and durable
policy outputs and outcomes.
16
Success Factors:
Lessons from the East Asian
Economies
A neoclassical economic strategy, stressing

the outward orientation and macroeconomic
discipline of the governments concerned.
A structuralist strategy, stressing

governmental leadership and direction in
industrial policies.
A culturalist strategy, stressing the role of

social and political value systems.
The overspill or contagion effect of

interaction between economies concerned,
which means learning from success.
17
Components of Good Governance
Governments deliver on what is promised- to
implement policies it chooses successfully.
Policy process should be predictable.
A merit-based, relatively autonomous but

accountable public service;
Development must lead to equitable institution
building and not only to institution breaking;
There should be participation and growth sharing
between a broad social coalition of partners.
18
CONCLUSION
Q&A
19

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Unit 7:

Lecturer: Nkosingiphile Mkhize

(Qualification/s: Ph.D. (UJ), MA degree (UJ), MA

degree (Masaryk University, Czech Republic),

PGDip (UJ), BA Honours (UJ), BA Degree (UJ)

• Explain the factors or drivers of policy change

• Analyse and assess the reasons for policy

Society is a living organism with

Society as a complex system is

2.3. E.g. High unemployment, existing labour policies

• In SA when Mandela took over from F.W. De Klerk in the 1990s.

2. 2.5. Changes in Policy Solutions

A new view suggests that government should be less

Outsourcing, privatisation, corporatisation, public-private

• 2.6. Changing nature of institutions:

• 2.6. Changes in Resource availability

• 3.1. Bad Policy Design:

Bad luck, referring to external, unavoidable

Bad Policy implementation????:

“Bad implementation” is the major obstacle

A neoclassical economic strategy, stressing

A structuralist strategy, stressing

A culturalist strategy, stressing the role of

The overspill or contagion effect of

A merit-based, relatively autonomous but

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