Public policy

Public policiesare as old as governments. Whatever be the form, oligarchy, monarchy, aristocracy,
tyranny, democracy etc., - whenever and wherever governments have existed, public policies have
been formulated and implemented. To with the varied problems and demands of the people the
government has to make many policies, these policies are called public policies.
MEANING OF PUBLIC POLICY
There are various studies about public policy and many scholars have attempted to define public policy from
different angles. Before explaining the meaning of public policy, let us first go through some of its definitions.
Robert Eye Stone 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.. 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 utilise and overcome in an effort to reach
a goal 01 realise an objective or purpose.
From these definitions, it is clear that public policies are governmental decisions, and are actually the
result of activities which the government undertakes in pursuance of certain goals and objectives. It
can also be said that public policy formulation and implementation involves a well-planned pattern or
course of activity. It requires a thoroughly close knit relation and interaction between the important
governmental agenciesviz., the political executive, legislature, bureaucracy and judiciary.
The following points will make the nature of public policy more clear in your minds:
Policy and Goals
To understand the meaning of policy in a better manner, it is very important to make a distinction between
policy and goals. Goals are what policies aim at or hope to achieve. A goal is a desired state of affairsthat a
society or an organisation attempts to realise. Goal’s 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. Public policies
are concerned with such specific goals. They are the instruments which lead to the achievement of these
goals
1) Public Policies are goal oriented. Public policies are formulated and implemented in order to attain
the objectives which the government has in view for the ultimate benefit of the masses in general. These
policies clearly spell out the programs of government.
2) Public policy is the outcome of the government's collective actions. It means that it is a pattern or course
of activity oi the governmental officials and actors in a collective sense than being term-ed as their
discrete and segregated decisions.
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.
4) Public policy 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. It has the sanction of law and authority behind it.
Negatively, it involves a decisions by the governmental officials regarding not taking any action on a
particular issue.
If the government announces that its goal is to provide housing to all the members of the deprived sections
of society it does not become a public policy. It is a statement of intention of what the government
wants to do. Many a time the government, for political reasons, announces goals that it has little desire to
achieve. In order to become a policy, the goal has to be translated into action. Programmes have to. be
designed to achieve specific objectives. As an illustration, let us look at the policy of poverty alleviation.
Several programmes have been designed for this, _ e.g., The Integrated Rural Development
Programme (IRDP), The National Rural Employment Program (NREP) etc. Each programme has certain
goals to achieve within a specified time and each program is provided with financial resources and
administrative personnel. These become concrete efforts to achieve a goal. Policy spells out the
strategy of achieving a goal. Thus policy is essentially an instrument to achieve a goal. Statement of a goal
docs not make it a policy.
Policies and Decisions
A distinction needs to be drawn between a policy and a decision also. Many a time the terms are used
interchangeably but that is not the correct usage. Individuals, organisations or government are
constantly taking decisions. But all the decisions that are taken cannot be described as matters of policy.
The essential core of decision-making is to make a choice from the alternatives available in order to take
an action, if there is only one course of action available then there is nothing one can choose from and
therefore, no decision can be taken. A decision can be taken only when there is more than one alternative
available. Thus a decision is the act of making a choice. The entire science of decision-making has been
developed in order to analyse the conditions that can improve this activity and how a decision maker can
improve his choice by expanding the number of alternatives available to him.
There can be two types of decisions, programmed and non-programmed. Programmed decisions are
repetitive and do not require a fresh consideration every time they are taken. These decisions are
routine in nature and for these definite procedures can be worked out. Each decision need not be dealt
with separately. In programmed decisions, habits, skills and knowledge about the problem are
important. For example, once the decision to open the library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. is taken, it does
not require fresh consiucration to keep it open during those hours. The decision is incorporated into
procedures that are established for the purpose. Non-programmed decisions are new' and
unstructured. No well laid-out methods are available for such decisions, each issue or question is to be
dealt with separately. Such decisions are required in the situations of unprecedented nature, for
example breakdown of an epidemic, occurrence of earthquake, etc. Training in skills, needed for such
decisions and innovative ability become relevant in this regard. Both the programmed and non-
programmed decisions have to be taken in a broad framework or course of action.
Public policy is the broad direction or perspective that the government lays down in order to take
decisions. Each organisation or the individual is enjoined to take a decision within a policy framework.
Decision can be a one time action. Policy consists of several decisions that are taken to fulfil its aims. A
policy consists of a series of decisions tied together into a coherent whole.
There can be some similarity in the processes involved in decision making and policy making. Both are
concerned with choice among alternatives and for both similar processes can be followed in generating
alternatives. But we should always remember that policy is a more comprehensive term, as it
encompasses a series of decisions and has a comparatively longer time perspective.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
The meaning and nature of public policy will become more clear by throwing light on different characteristics
of public policy. Some of the major characteristics of public policy making are:
Public Policy Making is a Very Complex Process: Policy making involves many components. which are
interconnected by communication and feedback loops and which interact in different ways. Some parts
of the process are explicit and directly observable, but many others proceed through hidden channels
that the officials themselves are often only partly aware of. These hidden procedures are very difficult,
and often impossible to observe. Thus. guidelines are often formed by a series of single decisions that
result in a 'policy' without anyone of the decision makers being aware of that process.
It is a Dynamic Process: Policy making is a process, that is a continuing activity taking place within a
structure; for sustainance , it requires a continuing input of resources and motivation. It is a dynamic
process, which changes with time. the sequences of its sub-processes and phases vary internally and
with respect to each other.
Policy Making Comprises Various Components: The complexity of public policy making as we know, is an
important characteristic of policy making. Public policy formulation foten involves a great variety of
substructures. The identity of these substructures and the degree of their involvement in policy making,
vary because of different issues, circumstances and societal values.
Policy Structure makes Different Contributions: This characteristic suggests that every substructure
makes a different, and sometimes unique, contribution to public policy. What sort of contribution
substructures make, depends in part on their formal and informal characteristics which vary from society
to society.
Decision-Making: Policmaking is a species of decision-making because it lets us use decision-making
models for dealing with policy making.
Lays down Major Guidelines: Public policy, in most cases, lays down general directives, rather than
detailed instructions, on the main lines of action to be followed. After mainlines of action have been
decided on, detailed sub-policies that translate the general theory into more concrete terms are usually
needed to execute it.
Results in Action: Decision-making can result in action, in changes in the decision-making itself, or both
or neither. The policies of most socially significant decision-making, such as most public policy making are
intended to result in action. Also policies directed at the policy making apparatus itself such as efficiency
drives in govern merit are action oriented.
Directed at the Future: Policy making is directed at the future. This is one of its most important
characteristics since it introduces the ever-present elements of uncertainty and doubtful prediction that
establish the basic tone of nearly all policy making.
Actual policy making tends to formulate policies in vague and elastic terms; because the future is so
uncertain. It permits policy makers to adjust their policy according to emerging facts and enables them to
guard against unforeseen circumstances.
Mainly Formulated by Governmental Organs: Public policy is also directed. in part, at private persons and
non-governmental structures, as 'when it calls for a law prohibiting a certain type of behaviour or
appeals to citizens to engage in private saving. But public policy, in most cases, is primarily directed at
governmental organs, and only intermediately and secondarily at other factors.
Aims at Achieving what is in the Public Interest: However difficult it might be to find out what the
"public interest" may COl 'rely refer to, the term never the less conveys the idea of a "general"
orientation and seems therefore to be important and significant. Furthermore, there is good evidence
that the image of "public interest" influences the public policy making process and is therefore at least,
as conceived by the various public policy making units, a "real" phenomenon, and an important operational
tool for the study of policy making.
Use of Best Possible Means: In abstract terminology, public policy making aims at achieving the
maximum net benefit. Benefits and costs take in part the form ofrealised values and impaired values,
respectively, and cannot in most cases be expressed in commensurable units. Often, quantitative
techniques can therefore not be used in this area of public policy making but neither the qualitative
significance of maximum net benefits as an aim nor the necessity to think broadly about alternative
public policies in terms of benefits and costs. is therefore reduced.
Involvement of Various Bodies/Agencies:
Industrial workers, voters, intellectuals, legislators, bureaucrats, political parties, political executives.
Judiciary etc. are the various organs that participate in public policy making and can influence the policy
process to a great extent.
Elements of Public Policies
There are three elements of government actions:
1. Legislation
2. Administrative Acts
3. Judicial Decisions
The legislation in a public policy establishes guidelines to be followed by members of the society. A law
raising the drinking age from 19 to 21 is intended to stop people between the ages of 19 and 21 from
consuming alcoholic beverages. No tice that a law does not necessarily mean that people will behave
differently. Governments cannot make people do anything. They can only tell them what legal behavior is
and punish them if they act illegally.
Administrativeacts are what governments do to put a law into practice. They include such actions as mailing
social security checks, giving tickets to people who il legally park their cars, or scheduling when trash will be
collected on what streets. Administrative acts are often even more important than the laws themselves. For
example, if the police decide not to enforce vigorously the legal drinking age, the law will have little effect on
those under 21.
Judicial decisions take place when courts apply the law to a specific situation. They may have the effect of
both administrative and legislative acts. For example, existing laws may be declared unconstitutional. The
legal situation then returns to the way it was before the law was passed. Also. judges may issue sentences to
law violators in ways that either increase or decrease the force of the law.
All three types of government actions are required for any given public policy. For example, to reduce the
number of highway accidents, a state sets speed limits on its roads. Making and carrying out such policies
involve legislation, administrative acts andjudicial decisions. The legislature of the state enacts general
legislation; the
Levels of Public Policies
A second general distinction that is made when discussing public policies is the level of government at which
the action will take place. The four levels of government actions most often used are:
1. Local-village, town, city or county
2. Provincial level
3. National
4. International
TYPES OF PUBLIC POLICY
Having explained the characteristics of public policy making, we wiil now explain the different types of
public policy. There are various types of public policy like substantive, regulatory, distributive,
redistributive etc. Substantive: These policies are concerned with the general welfare and
development of the society, the programmes like provision of education and employment opportunities,
economic stabilisation, law and order enforcement, anti-pollution legislation etc. are the result of
substantive policy formulation. These policies have vast areasof operation affecting the general welfare and
development of the society as a whole. These do not relate to any particular or privileged segments of
the society. Such policies have tobe formulated keeping in view the prime character of the constitution
socio-economic problems and the level of moral claims of the society.
Regulatory:Regulatory policies are concern cd with regulation of trade, business, safety measures, public
utilities, etc. This type of regulation is done by independent organisations that work on behalf of the
government. In India, we have Life Insurance' Corporation, Reserve Bank of India, Hindustan Steel,
State Electricity Boards, State Transport Corporations, State Financial Corporations, etc., which are
engaged in regulatory activities. The policies made by the government, pertaining to these services and
organisations rendering these services are known as regulatory policies. .
Distributive:Distributive policies are meant for specific segments of society. It can be in the area of grant of
goods, public welfare or health services, etc. These mainly include all public assistance and welfare
programmes. Some more examples of distributive policies arc adult education programme, food
relief, social insurance, vaccination camps etc.
Redistributive: Redistributive policies are concerned with the rearrangement of policies which are
concerned with bringing about basic social and economic changes. Certain public goods and welfare
services are disproportionately divided among certain segments of the society, these goods and
services are streamlined through redistributive policies.
Capitalisation: Under the capitalisation policies financial subsidies are given by the Union government to
the state and local governments, such subsidies are also granted to the central and state business
undertakings or some other important sphere if necessary. Capitalisation policies arc different in nature
than the substantive, regulatory. Distributive and redistributive policies as no provision for public
welfare services is made through these.