What is “Public Policy”?

• Policies are decisions or

roadmaps for future action.
• They are made in response to an issue or
problem that requires attention.
 What is "Public
Policy"?
• Public policy is what the government does (or
does not do) that affects the public.

• Public policy might take the form of

regulations, projects, programs or initiatives that
govern a particular issue or problem.

• Public policy is made by governments, even if

the
ideas come from outside government
 What is "Public
Policy"?
• Some problems are dealt with by actions
taken in the private sphere or by our civil
society.

• Policy-making is an ongoing process that

continually is re-assessed and revised.
 What is "Public
Policy"?
Let’s take a look at a simplified, fictional example of public policy in
action:
Stakeholders &
The Problem:
Engagement:
Rising • Government
Homelessness in • NGO’s
City X • Community One Solution:
Activists
•
increasing homeless
Residents
shelters in the City
City X staff consult with
stakeholders to come Implementation:
up with possible create 5
solutions. homeless shelters in
City X
 What is "Public
Policy"?
• Remember: the example used is very
simplified and misses out on a lot of
layers, nuance and context.

• The public policy process is frequently

not straight-forward, gets messy, and
is complicated!
But not all policy is “public policy.” (why)
 Because-:
Scope and Focus of Public Policy:

•Public Policy: Refers to actions, decisions, and frameworks created by

government institutions to address issues of public interest.

• It focuses on the welfare of the society at large and aims to solve societal
problems.

• Other Policies: May belong to private organizations, businesses, or

individuals and are often designed to serve specific, private interests or
organizational goals rather than the general public.
Authority and Legitimacy:
Public Policy: Is created by legitimate government
entities, such as legislatures, executives, or agencies,
and is backed by the authority of the state. It has a
binding effect on citizens.

Other Policies: Could be internal to private corporations,

institutions, or even informal groups. These lack the
binding authority of government unless they intersect with
public regulations.
• Accountability
• Public Policy: Governments are accountable
to the public for public policies. Democratic
processes, elections, and public discourse
hold policymakers accountable.

• Other Policies: Private or organizational

policies are accountable only to internal
stakeholders, such as employees,
shareholders, or customers.
Objectives
•Public Policy: Is aimed at addressing
collective societal issues like education,
healthcare, economic development, and
environmental protection.
•Other Policies: May focus on achieving
organizational efficiency, profitability, or
personal objectives, such as a company's
policy on employee benefits or customer
service.
Stakeholder Involvement
•Public Policy: Involves a wide range of
stakeholders, including the government, civil
society, and the general public, as it affects the
broader community.
•Other Policies: Involve fewer stakeholders,
often limited to those directly connected to the
organization or group creating the policy.
Examples of Public Policy:
•Public Policy: A government introduces a
national education policy to improve literacy
rates.
•Other Policy: A private school adopts a
policy to reduce tuition fees for certain
students. While the policy may have a social
benefit, it is not a public policy because it is
not formulated by a government body.
Why Care about Public Policy?

“Just because you do not take an interest in

politics doesn't mean politics won't take an
interest in you” (Pericles_ Father of Athenian
Democracy).
 Why Care about Public Policy?
1. It Shapes Daily Life: Policies regulate food safety,
transportation, and workplace conditions, ensuring basic
safety and standards in everyday life.
2. It Addresses Social Problems
3. It Impacts Rights and Freedoms (Both Positive and
Negative Freedoms): Freedoms like civil rights, voting rights,
and social justice.
4. It Protects Public Goods
5. It Determines Social and Economic Opportunities
6. It Prepares for Future Challenges: Policies address
emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity,
and global pandemics.
7. It Reflects Community Values (example Gram Sabha)
8. It Promotes Accountability
 How Decisions Are
Made
The process followed is sometimes referred to as a “policy
cycle.” The policy cycle isn’t the same in every case but
has five primary phases:

1.Agenda Setting
2.Policy Formulation
3.Policy Adoption
4.Policy Implementation
5.Policy Evaluation
 How Decisions Are Made

Engagement at the first step can focus

on generating a common
Engagement at the fifth step can
understanding of the problem to be
focus on how to improve the
solved
policy as part of program
evaluation activities
Engagement at the second step
can focus on identifying research
and gathering views on how to
interpret things.

Engagement at the fourth step can focus

Engagement at the in between the
on how things are going in the
second and third step can help
implementation of the policy (e.g. is it
identify solutions to address the
working the way it is intended?)
problem informed by research
and common understandings of
the problem.
Getting Involved in
Policy Decisions
You can get involved in influencing public policy in many ways!

Online discussion
•Circulate or repost political information on social networking
sites such as Facebook and Twitter
•Use email or instant messaging to discuss a social or political
issue
•Blog about a political issue
•Participate in an online group about a social or political issue
•Sign up to speak to an issue at Council
Meetings or send in comments!
Getting Involved in
Policy Decisions
Offline discussion
•Discuss a social or political issue face-to-face or on the
phone
•Write a letter to the editor about a political issue
•Make a public speech on a political issue
•Organize a public event or meeting about politics
Activism
•Sign a petition
•Boycott a product
•Take part in a peaceful protest
•Educate yourself on policy issues in your City
•Network with individuals and organizations
•Join an Advisory Committee
 Steps in Public policy Implementation

1. State the policy

selection rationale, or
the goal of the policy.
2. Explicitly state the
follow up process used
in the analysis
3. Comparison of
alternatives
4. Political and
organizational
constraints
5. Implementation and
evaluation
 Selection of Criteria
• What do we want to accomplish?
Test of a good policy
a.Moral argument
Does the policy align with ethical and moral principles?
Ex- A policy to ensure free education for all children can be
morally justified as it supports equality and human
development.
b. Incentives
Does the policy create appropriate incentives for stakeholders
to act in ways that achieve its objectives?
Ex- A tax rebate for using renewable energy incentivizes
individuals and businesses to adopt sustainable practices.
c. Constitutionality
Comparison of Alternatives
Alternatives Matrix (CAM)
 Comparison of Alternatives
• Policy analysis reviews alternative policies
according to at least three general criteria:
Efficiency, Equity, and Political Practicality.
• Efficiency: A society achieves allocative
efficiency if it provides the greatest possible level
of well-being for society given a limited set of
resources.
• Equity refers to the idea of ensuring fairness and
justice in the distribution of resources,
opportunities, and benefits across society.
• In many cases efficiency, and equity brings self-
contradiction between them.
These two goals reflect different priorities:
efficiency focuses on maximizing overall
economic output or resource utilization,
while equity emphasizes fairness and justice
in the distribution of resources and
opportunities.
 Examples-1:
Progressive Taxation:
Equity: Progressive taxation aims to reduce
income inequality by redistributing wealth to
lower-income groups.
Efficiency: High-income earners face higher
tax rates, which can discourage work,
investment, and entrepreneurship, potentially
reducing economic efficiency.
Examples-2:
 Other Such Examples:
• Welfare Programs and Subsidies
• Environmental Regulations
• Urban Development and Affordable Housing
• Trade Liberalization
Political and Organizational Constraints
“The Overton Window”
• Unthinkable
• Radical
• Acceptable
• Sensible
• Popular
• Policy
Implementation and Evaluation
• Did the program accomplish its goals?
• Good intentions not enough.
• Market outcomes, political acceptance,
expert analysis
• Charles Murray’s Losing Ground;
immigration enforcement; government K-12
school spending
How is Public Policy Made?
“Laws are like
sausages, it is
better not to see
them being
made.”
– attributed to
Otto von
Bismarck
 The Players:
Voters Politician
Think
tanks s
Bureaucra The
ts Researchers courts
Consultan
Academic
Interest ts
s
Administratigroups The
on
Public Experts media
Civil
opinion society
 Models of Policy Analysis
• Institutionalism
• Process model
• Rationalist model: policy as maximum
social gain
• Incrementalism: policy as variations on the
past
• Group theory: policy as a group equilibrium
• Elite theory: policy as elite preference
• Public choice theory