What is Policy?
Those plans, positions and guidelines of government which influence decisions by government. There are various types and forms of policy. Among the range of policy types are:
- Broad policy which enunciates government-wide directions;
- More specific policy which may be developed for a particular sector (e. g. the economy) or issue-area (e. g. child-welfare);
- Operational policy which may guide decisions on programmes and project selection.
With respect to the forms that government policy can take, it is reflected most typically in legislation, regulations and programmes, called policy instruments
See Office of the Auditor General, Manitoba, Canada (2001) A guide to Policy Development
Public policy-making needs to:
- Identify the intended outcome of the policy at an early stage;
- Plan various scenarios and allow for possible contingencies;
- Take into account the long-term strategy of the Government.
There are many approaches to policy-making to suit particular situations. The following ten features are those used in Northern Ireland - A Practical Guide to Policy Making in Northern Ireland Economic Policy Unit, OFMDFM, Belfast (2004). (See also Better Policy-making H Bullock et. al., Centre for management and Policy Making, Cabinet Office, London, (2001).
Forward Looking
Public policy-making needs to identify the intended outcome of the policy at an early stage and its relevance to overall government policies.
Outward looking
The policy-making process should take account of developments at the national, European and international levels, drawing on the approaches and experiences in other countries. On the other hand, a communication strategy on how the public, in particular those who will be directly affected, are informed of the policy needs to be prepared and implemented.
Innovative, Flexible and Creative
The policy-making process should question established ways of doing things, encourage new and creative ideas but also see if it is possible to do things better. The process should be open to inputs, comments and suggestions from others. Innovative approaches might include:
- Alternative ways of decision-making (brainstorming, etc);
- Success might be measured in terms of outcomes already defined;
- Assessment of the management risks;
- Creating a management structure which will encourage innovation, promote new ideas and effective team working;
- Involve outsiders in the policy design teams.
Evidence-based
Decisions need to be based on the best available evidence from as wide a range of sources as possible and this would include a review of existing research findings and, where there are gaps in knowledge, the commissioning of new research. A range of options should be explored and the cost estimated, possibly using economic and/or statistical models. Specialists, experts working the field and key stakeholders, should be involved from an early stage and throughout the policy process.
Inclusive
The policy-making process should take account of the impact on all who are or may be directly or indirectly affected by the policy. An inclusive policy-making approach would include:
- Consultation with those responsible for service delivery;
- Consultation with those at the receiving end or otherwise affected by the policy, for example, relevant voluntary organisations and representatives of specialist groups;
- An assessment of the possible impact of the policy on these groups might be undertaken;
- Ensure that there is feedback from service providers, recipients and consulted groups.
Joined-up
The policy-making process should look beyond institutional boundaries to the wider government strategic objectives, taking a holistic approach and establishing a moral, ethical and legal basis for the policy:
- Policy should be around shared goals rather than organisational structures and existing functions;
- Cross-cutting objectives (horizontal and vertical) should be defined from the start of the policy-making process;
- Joint working arrangements with other relevant ministries and affected organisations, should be clearly defined and understood;
- A strategy is required to overcome any barriers to 'joined-up' policy-making;
- As implementation is part of the policy process, it must be taken into consideration.
Learning Lessons
It is important for policy-makers to learn from experience, what will work and what won't. A learning approach to policy development might include:
- Information on lessons learned and the dissemination of 'good practice';
- Information should be made available on what policy-makers did as a result of the lessons learned;
- There needs to be a clear distinction drawn between failure of a policy to impact on the problem it as intended to resolve and managerial/operational failures at the implementation stage.
Communications
The policy-making process needs to consider how the policy will be communicated to the public. A communications policy might include:
- Communications/presentation strategy prepared and implemented;
- Involve the relevant information services at an early stage of the process.
Evaluation
Policies should have a built-in systematic evaluation process to measure its effectiveness. There should be a clearly defined evaluation process and success criteria from the beginning. Evaluation should include:
- An evaluation methodology built into the process;
- A clearly defined purpose for the evaluation from the start of the process;
- Indicators/criteria for success;
- The use of pilot studies to influence the final outcome;
- Evaluation should aim to:
- Improve decision-making;
- Help with a more effective allocation of resources;
- Enhance accountability;
- Bring organisational learning.
Review
Policies need to be constantly reviewed to ensure that they are doing what they were designed to do, solving the problems they were designed to solve and adjusting to take into consideration changing circumstances. Feedback mechanisms need to be in place so that service providers and service recipients can communicate with the policy-makers. In the end, if a policy is not working or is not necessary any more, then it should be scrapped.1
1A Practical Guide to Policy Making in Northern Ireland Economic Policy Unit, OFMDFM, Belfast (2004). (See also Better Policy-making H Bullock et. al., Centre for management and Policy Making, Cabinet Office, London, (2001).