1. PSU 08108 : Public Policy
for
BD.MSD &BA.Eco
INSTRUCTOR : Mr. SANCHAWA, DH
Office Number 301, Uhuru.
1Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

2. Learning objectives
• By the end of this lecture learners should be
able to :
• Define public policy and other related terms
• Analyze the importance of public policy
• Describe the nature and characteristics of
public policy
• Examine what policies do
• Examine the rationale for public policy
2Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

3. Definition of terms :
• A policy
• A line of argument rationalizing the course of
action of a government; "they debated the
policy on the proposed legislation"
• A plan of action adopted by an individual or
social group.
• A written contract or certificate of insurance;
"you should have read the small print on your
policy
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4. A policy
• A plan or course of action, as of a government,
political party, or business, intended to
influence and determine decisions, actions,
and other matters
• Policies are general statements or
understandings which guide or channel of
thinking and action in decision-making
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5. A Policy
• Policy is a process as well as a product. It is
used to refer to a process of decision-making
and also the product of that process.
Policy as an output ; Here policy is seen as
what government actual delivers e.g. Delivery
of goods and services or enforcement. E.g
education, health, agriculture ,e.tc
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6. A policy
• They are predetermined decision rules
applicable for a range of managerial decisions
and actions.
• Policies can be understood as political,
management, financial, and administrative
mechanisms arranged to reach explicit goals
• Policy is a means of encouraging discretion
and initiative but with in units (Harold Koontz
)
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7. So………A policy means ?
• Purposive course of action that an individual
or group consistently follows in dealing with a
problem. It has the following ELEMENTS
• Intentions: purposes of government action
• Goals: stated ends to be achieved
• Plans or proposals: means for achieving goals
• Programs: authorized means for pursuing
goals
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8. Elements of a policy (ctd)
• Decisions or choices: specific actions that are
taken to set goals, develop plans, and
implement and evaluate programs
• Effects: the effects that programs have on
society, whether intended or unintended
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9. What policies do? (Under son)
• They emerge in response to policy demands
• They involve what governments actually do,
not just what they say they are going to do
• Policies may be either positive or negative
• In their positive form, policies are based on
law and are authoritative
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10. A goal
• Goals are what policies aim at or hope to achieve.
A goal is a desired state of affairs that a society or
an organization attempts to realize.
• Goal can be understood in a variety of
perspectives. These can be thought of as abstract
values that a society would like to acquire. There
are also goals that are specific and concrete.
Removal of poverty is a goal that the government
wants to pursue.
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11. Policy output and policy outcomes
• Policy outputs: the formal actions that
government takes to pursue its goals
• Here policy is seen as what government actually
delivers e.g. Delivery of goods and services or
enforcement. E.g. education, health, agriculture,
etc
• Policy outcomes: the effects such actions have on
society
.
11Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

12. Meaning of public policy
• Public policy is a purposive course of actions
or inactions undertaken by an actor or set of
actors in dealing with a particular problem or
matter of concern (James Under son, 1995,5).
What are the distinguishing features of this
definition? Students.
12Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

13. Meaning of public policy
• Robert EyeStone terms public policy as "the
relationship of government unit to its
environment
• Thomas R. Dye says that "public policy is
whatever government chooses to do or not to
do"
• Richard Rose says that "public policy is not a
decision, it is a course or pattern of activity.
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14. Meaning (ctd)
• In Carl J. Friedrich's opinion public policy is a
proposed course of action of a person, group
or government within a given environment
providing opportunities and obstacles which
the policy was proposed to utilize and
overcome in an effort to reach a goal or realize
an objective or purpose.
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15. Meaning of Public policy
• Public policy is a course of government action
or inaction in response to public problems. It
is associated with formally approved policy
goals and means, as well as the regulations
and practices of agencies that implement
programs
15Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

16. The nature of public policy
• In this lecture we would like to argue that
public policies are governmental decisions,
and are actually the result of activities which
the government undertakes in pursuance of
certain goals and objectives.
• Thus the following points will make the nature
of public policy more clear in your minds
16Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

17. The nature of PP(ctd)
• 1) Public Policies are goal oriented. This means
that Public policies are formulated and
implemented in order to attain the objectives
which the government has in view for the
betterment of the public
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18. Nature of public policy (ctd)
2) Public policy is the outcome of the
government's collective actions.
• It means that it is a pattern or course of
activity or' the governmental officials and
actors in a collective sense than being termed
as their discrete and segregated decisions
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19. The nature of PP(ctd)
3) Public policy is what the government actually
decides or chooses to do. It is the relationship
of the government units to the specific field of
political environment in a given administrative
system. It can take a variety of forms like law,
ordinances, court decisions, executive orders,
decisions etc.
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20. The nature of PP (ctd)
4) Public policy may be positive or negative.
• It is positive in the sense that it depicts the
concern of the government and involves its
action to a particular problem on which the
policy is made.
• Negatively, it involves a decisions by the
governmental officials regarding not taking
any action on a particular issue
20Mr. SANCHAWA, DH

21. Characteristics of public policy
• It is purposive and goal oriented
• Public policies are made up by public
authorities
• Public policy consists of set of pattern of
action taken over time
• Public policy is a product of demand
• Government directed course of actions
• It can be positive or negative
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22. The importance of public policy
• The study on Public Policy is important as it
avails learners to what Public Policies are, How
they are made, the politics involved in
formulating them, the theoretical models for
analyzing policies and the impact they have on
the citizens
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23. The importance of public policy (ctd)
• Generally , public policy plays a vital role in
society as its helps to know the intentions of
the government for a particular sector, depart.
• Through public policy, the public can measure
the achievements made by the government
• Helps to respond to the needs of the society
• For scientific understanding of the course and
effect relationship
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24. Some public policy areas
• Education policy
• Social welfare policy
• Health care policy
• Criminal justice policy
• Social policy
• Economic policy
• Environmental policy
• Energy policy
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25. The relationship between politics and
public policies
• A policy is a plan of action for tackling political
issues. It is often initiated by a political party
in government, which undergoes reforms and
changes by interested actors (for example,
opposition parties and lobby groups
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26. The relationship (ctd)
• Policy making process is a part of politics and
political action. According to Gabriel Almond,
political system is a set of interactions having
structures, each of which performs its
functions in order to keep it like an on-going
concern, it is a set of processes that routinely
converts inputs into outputs.
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27. Individual Assignment
1. Giving practical examples discuss the experience of
Tanzania in Public Policy Making Process . Examine the
limitations and success in the process.
INSTRUCTIONS
• 1. It must be typed
• 2. Number of Pages: a minimum of four pages
excluding cover page
• 3. Font and font size : 12 font size Times New Roman
• Citations and references: Highly recommended
• Submission: Friday 24th April 2015 at 16: 00 PM
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28. READINGS
• Anderson, James E. 1975. Public Policy Making.
Praeger: New York
• Dror Yehezkel, 1968. Public Policy Making Re-
examined, Chandler. Pennsylonia
• Dye. Thomas R. 1972. Understanding Public Policy.
Prentice Hall. Englewoodcliff
• Frohock. Fred M. 1979. Public Policy: Scope and Logic.
Prentice Hall. Englewoodcliff
• Sahni Pardeep. 1987. Public Policy: Conceptual
Dimensions. Kitab Mahal. Allahabad.
• Saigal Krishan, 1983. Policy Making in India : An
Approach to Optimisation, Vikas:
28Mr. SANCHAWA, DH