This document discusses several key aspects of the public policy process. It outlines the changing nature of public policies, including a lack of widespread public understanding or support for policies. It also describes different types of policies and examines the relationship between policymaking, politics, and private management. Additionally, it covers various stages of the policymaking process, including planning, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. It notes challenges that can arise at each stage and obstacles to effective policy analysis and evaluation.
2. The Changing Nature of
Public Policies
No complete or widespread policy comprehension
by public
Examples: foreign policy; environment
No widespread, active support for existing public
policies
But few survive that offend powerful political
interests or large numbers of citizens
Acceptable policies may not be most effective
3. The Changing Nature of
Public Policies
▪ Which situations, who defines them and why
they deserve attention
▫ Example: affordable health care
▫ Policy initiatives come from many sources
▪ Incrementalism (most typical)
▪ Symbolic actions
5. Public Policy, Politics and/or
Private Management
▪ Policy-making purposes vary
▫ Ideological (Contract with America)
▫ Pragmatic (customer service standards)
▫ Devolutionary (Reagan’s New Federalism)
▪ Desire for policy change often follows
ideological preferences
6. Public Policy, Politics and/or
Private Management
▪ Political values vs. administrative values
▪ Less general revenue fuels trend toward
devolution and privatization, especially on
local and state levels
▪ Competing goals of diverse interest groups
7. Public Policy, Politics and/or
Private Management
▪ But is privatization the answer?
▫ Creation of local monopolies
▫ Equality and fairness concerns
▫ No-bid or limited-competition contracts
▫ Some private contractors raise ethical
concerns
8. The Policy-Making Process
▪ Four stages of policy making
▫ Legislative
▫ Regulations and rules
▫ Implementation
▫ Review
9. The Policy-Making Process
Functions within policy making
Legislative stage involves chief executive, key
legislators and high level administrators
Rule-making power delegated to agencies by
Congress
Adjudication is quasi-judicial function
Program operation
Impact of intergovernmental relations on policy
development and implementation
10. The Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
Source: Michael E. Milakovich, “Creating a Total Quality Healthcare Environment,” Healthcare Management
Review, 16 (Spring 1991): 16.
11. Planning and Analysis
▪ Keys to planning:
▫ Accurate forecasts of future need
▫ Goal definition
▫ Means-end linkages
▫ Administrative coordination and direction
▪ Operational goals
12. Strategic Planning in Public Policy
Identify desired outcomes
Assess environmental concerns
Identify areas for strategic actions
Cost-benefit analysis
Implementation plans
Establish performance expectations
Include operational goals in annual budgets
13. Approaches to Analysis
▪ Policy analysis: the systematic investigation
of alternative policy options, and assembly
and integration of evidence for and against
options
▫ Issue analysis
▫ Program analysis
▫ Multiprogram analysis
▫ Strategic analysis
14. Steps in Policy Analysis
1. Define the problem.
2. Establish criteria for problem resolution.
3. Propose alternatives.
4. Collect data relevant to the problem.
5. Analyze the likely consequences of each
alternative.
6. Evaluate the trade-offs.
7. Select an alternative strategy.
15. Obstacles to Policy Analysis
▪ Uncertainty about types and uses of analysis
▪ Limitations of analytical tools (problems not
always quantifiable)
▫ Systems analysis
▫ Cost-benefit analysis
▫ Operations research
16. Program Implementation
▪ Implementation involves organization,
interpretation and application
▫ Failures usually attributable to routine
obstacles
▫ Politics and legislative language play a
role
▫ Agencies must determine policy limits
17. Approaches to Implementation
Program evaluation and review technique
(PERT)
Sequence of steps mapped in advance
Critical path method (CPM)
Identifies critical path and resource needs
Management by objectives (MBO)
Defines objectives and tracks progress
Opportunities for employee involvement
18. Challenges of Implementation
▪ Management control, both internal and
external
▪ Developing harmonious and productive
interagency relationships
▪ Pressures and/or resistance to change
▪ Shifting political demands
19. Program Evaluation
▪ Systematic examination of government
actions, policies, or programs to determine
success/failure
▪ Purposes:
▫ Learn about operations and effects
▫ Fix accountability issues
▫ Influence responses of political
environment
21. Problems and Politics of Evaluation
Performance measurement issues
Data, criteria, information quality
Political factors involved in process
Reliability of performance indicators
Manipulation of data
Conflicts between stated goals (reformers) and
implementers (agency)
Time constraints and goal attainment
Politics of evaluation (justification)
22. Problems and Politics of Evaluation
▪ Difficult to evaluate impartially
▪ Political liabilities in honest evaluation
▪ Government fiscal constraints may lead to
better program evaluation
▫ Government Accountability Office
▪ But, evaluation continues to grow in
significance
