The Formation of Public Policy

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The Formation of Public Policy

• Promoting Civil Society in the 21st Century

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Characteristics of Policy-Making

• Policy is often based on experimentation, chance,
  learning from failures, resource scarcity, lack
  of information, and other influences. Thus,
  policy formation is incremental and complex.
• Policy is shaped by a multiplicity of narratives.
  Some gain more influence and authority than
  others.
• Policy is sometimes determined by powerful
  actors, organizations or institutions.

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• Most public policy is a combination of rational
  planning, incremental change, competition among
  groups, elite preference vs. marginalized
  powerlessness, and influences by a variety of
  institutions.
• Agreed-on courses of action and objectives are
  central of policy development, implementation and
  evaluation.

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• Policy making is political. It is determined by
  power relationships, societal norms, and values.
  The interplay of citizens, politicians and
  experts plays a role in the success or failure of
  policy initiatives.
• Public policy is a form of pluralist democracy.
  Many different actors can influence the process
  or policy formation.
• Those with the most resources, political savy,
  and political connections can determine policy
  outcomes.

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Activities in Policy Making

• Research and Analysis Field based research,
  observational data collection, case studies,
  focus groups, interviews, and document analysis
  are several of many ways of collecting data
  related to specific public policy initiatives.

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• Policy Dialogue the communication that occurs
  between government and those groups/organizations
  that are attempting to define policy. This
  communication involves the exchange of ideas,
  knowledge and experiences related to developing
  effective policy.

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• Policy Development May be widely general
  through defining policy on the basis of a whole
  new context, or very specific by changing
  particular words or phrases in pending
  legislation.
• Advocacy Speaking out and spreading information
  that influences public behavior, opinion, policy,
  or law.

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• Developing public policy requires understanding
  the issues and framing questions carefully.
• Typical questions include Who is influenced by
  this work? What are the goals/outcomes, the
  inputs and the settings? What is the time frame
  for resolving the issue? Who is the target group?
  What are the roles of each member of the group?

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Critical Questions to Ask in Policy Formation

• Who are the policy-makers?
• What are the sources/strengths of resistance?
• Is there demand for new ideas?
• What sort of evidence will convince
  policy-makers?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What links/networks exist between them?

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• What are the priorities of the main actors in the
  process?
• What are the main sources of financial resources?

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• Facts are important to the public policy process.
• Documented facts as opposed to emotional opinion
  is essential to defining, understanding, and
  creating solutions for public policy issues.

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List of References

• Canadian Council for International Cooperation,
  (2006), Basics of Public Policy Development,
  Ottawa, Canada.
• Texas Politics, 2008, The Policy Making
  Process, Available online at http//texaspolitics
  .laits.utexas.edu Retrieved May 9, 2008.
• Fisher, C Lerner, R., (2005), Encyclopedia of
  Applied Developmental Science, Vol. 2, Thousand
  Oaks Sage, 898-900.