CPI Public Impact Fundamentals Report English

LEGITIMACY
ACTION
POLICY
The Public Impact

Fundamentals
Helping governments progress from
idea to impact
The Centre for Public Impact is a global not-for-profit foundation, funded by The Boston
Consulting Group, dedicated to improving the positive impact of governments.
We bring together world leaders to learn, exchange ideas and inspire each other
to strengthen the public impact of their organisations. Sharing insights from around
the world, our global forums highlight what has worked and where challenges require
new approaches.
LEGITIMACY
ACTION
POLICY
The Public Impact Fundamentals
Contents
Acknowledgements 2
Forewords 3
Executive Summary 6
The Public Impact Fundamentals 12
A complex problem 12
With no easy answer 12
How we can help 13
How did we develop the Public Impact Fundamentals? 14
Legitimacy 17
Public confidence 19
Political commitment 20
Stakeholder engagement 20
Policy 22
Clear objectives 24
Evidence 25
Feasibility 26
Action 27
Management 29
Measurement 30
Alignment 31
Conclusion33
Bibliography 34
The first edition of this report was published in October 2016

This work may be cited as: The Public Impact Fundamentals Report, (2016) Centre for Public Impact
1
Centre for Public Impact
Acknowledgements
The Centre for Public Impact would like
to thank the distinguished members of
our Academic Advisory Group (Helmut
Anheier, Gary Banks, Gwyn Bevan, William
Eimicke, Francis Fukuyama, Mark Moore,
Kenneth Tan and Ngaire Woods) for their
advice and support in developing the
Public Impact Fundamentals.
We would also like to express our sincere

gratitude to the team of scholars from
the Hertie School of Governance who
empirically tested the Public Impact
Fundamentals against independent case
studies. A special note of thanks to those
who have supported us from the very
start by being critical friends, as well as
promoting our work, namely the Institute
for Government, The World Bank, OECD
and the UNDP.
Our final thanks go to members of the

Centre for Public Impact team involved
in this project: Joel Tito, Danny Buerkli,
Nadine Smith, Matt Mercer, Amy Noonan
and Harriet Loos.
2
Forewords
Adrian Brown
Impact – public impact – should be the into real-world effect. Mutually reinforcing,
lifeblood of any government. The hope they collectively lead to improved public
and expectation of improved outcomes impact.
for citizens not only guides decisions at
Governments need to be able to
the ballot box but also helps power the
demonstrate their impact and how
machinery of public services day in, day
citizens benefit from it. While this is
out. So why is achieving it so difficult?
hardly a new ambition, it is increasingly a
A glance at the news headlines can shed global imperative. Too often, government
some light. In 2016 alone we’ve seen an results have failed to achieve the right
international refugee crisis, geopolitical outcomes even when their policy idea
divisions, instability in the Middle East and was sound. This wastes time and money,
beyond and economic challenges aplenty, and damages public trust in leaders and
all playing out across borders. Governments democracy. This is why improving public
are also operating under a fierce media impact is one of the greatest challenges of
and regulatory spotlight, one that is the 21st century. We call on governments
buttressed by rising citizen expectations, around the world to close their public
budgetary pressures and megatrends – impact gap.
urban, demographic and digital – which
There’s no doubt that the transformations
are reshaping the world around us and
that surround us today will continue to
rendering old practices obsolete.
proliferate. But while change continues
But while so much is in flux, the need for anew, it is our hope that The Public
results remains constant. That’s why we at Impact Fundamentals will act as a
the Centre for Public Impact have worked compass for public impact, helping
with leading practitioners and academics governments – from country leaders to
from around the world to develop The city mayors and local government – to
Public Impact Fundamentals, a framework improve the lives of citizens around the
that sets out how governments can improve world both now and into the future.
the results they achieve for citizens.
We have found that three things are

fundamental to improved public impact:
Legitimacy, Policy and Action. Legitimacy –
the underlying support for a policy and the
attempts to achieve it; Policy – the design Adrian Brown
quality of policies intended to achieve Executive Director
impact; and Action – translation of policies Centre for Public Impact
3
Mark Moore
Citizens of democratic societies have role. “Better” not only in that government
never have been entirely clear about operations become fairer, more efficient
who has the responsibility for improving and more effective but also in the sense
the current and future performance of that government becomes increasingly
government. responsive to citizens. I can’t say that my
effort has been entirely successful, but I’m
Throughout our history, we have relied
still working on it.
on the processes of representative
government and democratic policymaking What excites me about the ambition
to define the ends and provide the behind the CPI’s Public Impact
means of government action. For the Fundamentals is this: the continued
last century or so, we have also relied desire to improve the practice of public
on a corps of professionals to provide management and to show citizens what
expert guidance on the pursuit of agreed effective public management looks like
upon ends. And throughout, we have and requires of them in their varied roles
relied on the processes of democratic as citizens, voters, taxpayers and clients.
accountability – including the creation of
A significant reason for my enthusiasm
audit capacities, different forms of citizen
is that the Public Impact Fundamentals
complaint mechanisms and the protection
do, in fact, focus managerial attention
of an independent media – to produce
on three key challenges: enhancing the
information about past performance and
democratic legitimacy of governmental
create incentives for improved future
activity; organising policymaking processes
performance.
that can simultaneously build political
Yet despite all of this apparatus, it is not legitimacy and make effective use of
clear that it has produced a government professional knowledge and evidence
that is capable of achieving important about performance; and deploying the
goals, developing better means of varied tools of government to generate
achieving existing goals, or of changing productive action across society to
goals in the face of new or emerging improve the quality of individual and
challenges. collective life. (These basic ideas are
closely aligned with the frameworks
I have spent my professional life
developed in my own work, and set out in
developing concepts that can guide
Creating Public Value and Recognizing
those with executive responsibility in
Public Value.)
government to perform better in that
4
Importantly, the Public Impact Fundamentals The processes of building legitimacy

give due emphasis to building the through consultation and policymaking –
legitimacy for government action among and of using the mandates that emerge
citizens, voters and taxpayers rather than from these processes as a framework of
among those who are better described accountability that can define, animate
as the clients and direct beneficiaries of and guide the creation of public value –
government action. This differentiates are as important a managerial task as
them from many other frameworks using administrative tools to control the
developed in the private sector for deployment of the assets in achieving the
application to the public sector. desired results.
This emphasis is justified practically in Keeping pace with the times is one
that government activities are financed of government’s most important
by taxes raised and assigned through functions. And no doubt the Public Impact
democratic processes. It is also justified Fundamentals themselves will go through
philosophically – by the idea that any changes and iterations as practitioners
use of public authority or public money and policymakers offer feedback and
has to find favour with citizens, taxpayers review. But while public administration
and their elected representatives as will always be in a certain state of flux,
well as satisfy the direct beneficiaries of the conversations around improving
government action. government performance will continue.
So, too, will the drive for impact and better
Money, authority and moral authority
results.
are all used by government in advancing
public purposes. That these three assets As citizens, we shouldn’t want or expect it
do not come from individual customers to be any other way.
handing their money over the counter
to producers is perhaps the main thing
that distinguishes both government and
non-profit management from commercial
enterprises. In the world of government
and the voluntary sector, it is the “third
Mark Moore is the Hauser Professor of
party payers” – not investors or customers
Nonprofit Organizations, Ash Center for
– who sustain and judge the value of their
Democratic Governance and Innovation,
activities.
at The Harvard Kennedy School
5
Sir Michael Barber
In my experiences in the UK, and That there is now frustration in many

subsequently helping administrations countries should come as little surprise.
around the world improve their Frustration that public services aren’t
performance, I have always been matching expectations. Frustration that
struck by the sheer importance of good taxpayers’ money is being wasted. This
government. Their success – or otherwise frustration builds. It generates cynicism
– is fundamental to the prosperity and with the political process and democracy
wellbeing of all of us, wherever we live. more generally – and this is very
dangerous.
Interacting with policymakers from
Canada to Kurdistan, South Africa to That’s why The Public Impact Fundamentals
Australia, has also left me with the firm are so crucial. A framework for helping
conviction that the allure of public service governments achieve better results
still holds strong. The best and the for citizens, the Fundamentals will be
brightest continue to flock to governments a powerful tool in the ongoing drive
far and wide. Theirs is a shared ethos for better government performance
which overpowers the higher salaries or worldwide. Few missions are as important.
fast pace that might be on offer in the
private sector.
And yet working in government remains

one of the most challenging jobs that
anyone can pursue. Challenges spring up
on a daily – if not hourly – basis. Pressures Sir Michael Barber is Founder of Delivery
abound. Systems can buckle all too easily. Associates and co-Chairman of the Centre
And it’s all played out under a fierce 24/7 for Public Impact
media spotlight.
6
Executive Summary
The context And yet the OECD’s finding that trust in
national governments across its countries
Challenges are woven deeply through
was just 41.8% in 2014 compared with
the complex tapestry that is modern
45.2% in 2007 tells a story of hopes
policymaking. Governments are tasked
unfulfilled and expectations dashed. It
with addressing difficulties ranging from
also gives rise to fears that populations
geopolitical instability to fluctuating global
will become unwilling to support public
growth, food security to climate change,
institutions through taxation or to
all of which are easy to list but far more
participate in the democratic process.
difficult to solve. At the same time, our
Clearly, governments need to do much
world is undergoing rapid transformation.
more to demonstrate their impact and
Nanotechnology, artificial intelligence,
how citizens benefit.
3D printing and gene sequencing are just
some of the many technologies helping To help governments navigate their
make the impossible possible. Today, way from idea to impact, the Centre
disruption is no longer a concept but a for Public Impact (CPI) has developed
reality. a framework for thinking about the
elements that influence the success of
Governments are striving in many
government initiatives. The Public Impact
areas to keep up. We see examples of
Fundamentals will help governments
policymakers deploying new techniques
improve their performance and achieve
such as behavioural insights and “Labs”
better results for citizens.
– bespoke teams dedicated to creating
new and better solutions – are becoming
increasingly prevalent. Governments’ use
of digital technology is also on the up –
the days of having to stand in line to renew
your passport or driving licence are now
long gone in many countries.
7
The Public Impact Fundamentals are a with the most senior academics from
systematic attempt to understand what the world’s leading public policy schools,
makes a successful policy outcome and as well as senior government officials
describe what can be done to maximise from across the globe. We have sought
the chances of achieving public impact. In to develop a framework underpinned by
developing them, we have worked closely cutting-edge thinking from academia and
tested by government officials so that it
can be immediately usable.
We have found three components to be

fundamental to public impact: Legitimacy,
Policy and Action. Within each are three
elements, which collectively contribute to
performance on each Fundamental:
LEGITIMACY
ACTION
POLICY
8
LEGITIMACY
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
POLITICAL COMMITMENT
POLICY
CLEAR OBJECTIVES
EVIDENCE
FEASIBILITY
ACTION
MANAGEMENT
MEASUREMENT
ALIGNMENT
9
Legitimacy refers to the underlying

support for a government or public
body. Governments and bodies
that are legitimate tend to be more
LEGITIMACY successful in achieving impact. When
it is absent, politicians are unable to
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE draw on their mandate to push through
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT initiatives. Legitimacy can also reduce
POLITICAL COMMITMENT the transaction costs of governing by
reducing reliance on coercion and
monitoring.
The quality of the policy matters.

Clear objectives, strong evidence
and an understanding of what is
feasible are crucial to good policy.
POLICY Ideally, policymakers will accumulate

information, assess alternative courses
CLEAR OBJECTIVES of action, and choose among them on
EVIDENCE the basis of their potential to achieve the
FEASIBILITY decision-makers’ goals.
Action is the translation of policies

into real-world effects. Despite its
importance, it is often the most
ACTION neglected of our Fundamentals. It is

important to note that Action does
MANAGEMENT not constitute impact. A policy may
MEASUREMENT be implemented effectively but fail to
ALIGNMENT have a substantial impact because it
was ill-conceived or because of other
circumstances. Hence, successful
action may be a necessary – but not
sufficient – condition for the attainment
of public impact.
10
1. Public confidence 2. Stakeholder engagement 3. Political commitment

Public confidence refers to the extent Engaging stakeholders in the debate The willingness of political leaders
to which the general public trusts on policy design, development and to spend political capital in support
institutions to act competently and in implementation is crucial to achieving of the policy objective directly
support of the wider public interest. good outcomes. Effective stakeholder influences legitimacy. When there is
Public confidence in one’s government engagement starts with a clear active political opposition to a policy
or its institutions may be the most objective for consultation, followed it affects the perceived legitimacy of
consequential element of legitimacy, by the identification of people and an initiative. This makes it harder to
in the sense that if it is undermined organisations with a specific interest in achieve impact.
then more cataclysmic or large-scale the initiative. This allows policymakers
changes in a society are possible. to understand stakeholders, their roles
and divergent interests.
1. Clear objectives 2. Evidence 3. Feasibility

Setting clear objectives during the Identifying good evidence is crucial Feasibility refers to the absence
early stage of design is crucial to because it allows policymakers to of significant technical, legal or
developing good policy. They are assess the nature and extent of a operational challenges to the policy.
important in defining the borders problem and weigh up the particular A policy initiative is more likely to
of policy because they allow for features of the policy situation, such as achieve its intended outcomes when
specific problems to be selected and demographic changes. They can then the question of how the policy is to
prioritised. The inclusion of targets judge those policies that may have be implemented has been an integral
or indicators is particularly beneficial been effective in similar situations. part of its design. Proper planning
when setting objectives because they provides a map of how an initiative
increase the pressure on governments, will be implemented, addressing
bureaucracies and civil society and matters such as timeframe, phases
lead to a greater focus on continuous of implementation, responsibilities,
improvement. resourcing and compliance.
1. Management 2. Measurement 3. Alignment

Management allows policymakers to Measurement is the main tool of The actors required to make change
assess whether the most appropriate implementation. It can dramatically happen need to share an alignment
systems are in place, the right improve service quality in public of interests in relation to the policy
people with relevant skill sets are agencies, and it allows for feedback objective. To this end, coordination is
matched to appropriate tasks, and loops that enable the timely fundamental to the development of a
interventions are structured in an adjustment of policy to facilitate sense of shared mission. When actors
effective manner. This process involves successful implementation. Public cooperate effectively, when they are
measurement, analysis, feedback, managers and civil servants should equipped to execute their part of the
evaluation, calibration and adjustment. begin by deciding on the managerial initiative and are highly motivated,
Successful implementation relies on purposes to which performance implementation tends to be more
the identification and management of measurement may contribute. successful. It is therefore clear that
risk, which promotes accurate, well- Only then can they select a set of alignment is a significant contributing
informed judgements. performance measures with the factor to successful action.
characteristics necessary to help them
achieve these purposes.
11

A complex problem increasing number of citizens who have
lost faith in government’s ability to make
“Government”. Few words resonate as
a meaningful and positive difference to
strongly around the world. It is a constant
people’s lives. Against this backdrop, it is
presence, influencing and underpinning all
clear that governments need to improve
walks of life and indispensable to solving
their public impact.
many of society’s greatest problems. From
the construction of a new well to the Sounds great. So what’s stopping them?
global eradication of polio, governments
can have an enormous impact on the lives With no easy answer
of citizens. However, it is clear that when
it comes to outcomes that matter for Naturally, achieving public impact is
citizens, governments can – and should – complicated, and the reality of being
do better. involved in the delivery of frontline
services is not capable of reduction to
simple formula. The practitioners we talk
Too often, public policy is a process of
to agree on one thing: there is no one-
simply lurching forward from crisis to crisis.
size-fits-all solution. Governments must
I’m doing crisis management every day and
adapt processes to different contexts,
it is very difficult to get up into a position
institutional backgrounds and cultures if
where I can survey the entire battlefield,
they are to achieve targets and positive
because I tend to be down in the trenches
outcomes.
fighting. From a management perspective
you have to be able to get above it and see We believe that policymakers’ lives
the big picture. are made more difficult by a lack of
Annise Parker agreement about precisely what influences
Former three term Mayor of Houston, Texas
the impact of government initiatives.
A further complication is that it’s not
We believe that the touchstone for any
government should be the results it
achieves for its citizens: its public impact.
Policymaking is rarely a neat process and
In our work, we routinely see the effects
seldom systematic. It’s an environment that
of the gap between what governments
unfortunately leaves scant time for pausing
achieve and what they could achieve. The
to evaluate how well new initiatives are
consequences of this gap are significant
working or whether there might have been
– people’s livelihoods are jeopardised,
a better way to roll out a particular policy.
services aren’t delivered and public funds
Former UK Cabinet Secretary
are wasted. This leads to diminishing Lord Gus O’Donnell
confidence in governments and an
12
always clear what people mean by “public Day to day in government, the ability to
impact”. The term is broadly used when distinguish between a programme that
attempting to measure the achievements is having a hugely positive impact and
of government, but there is no consensus one that is having a moderate impact is
on what constitutes success. difficult. The way governments are set up
means we don’t usually have the capacity
How we can help
to do this very well.
We have sought to assist policymakers Matthew Mendelsohn, Head of Canada’s
by developing the Public Impact Results and Delivery Directorate
Fundamentals (see figure 2), a

systematic attempt to understand the As with all work of this nature, the way in
elements of successful policies and which the Public Impact Fundamentals
describe what can be done to maximise will be used will be dependent on context.
the chances of achieving public impact. We did not develop the Fundamentals
They are intended to provide a structured with the view to it being a universal
method for making targeted interventions and prescriptive list – instead we are
and increasing the chances of success. interested to see whether they are
In this way, they can be seen as a consistent with the day-to-day activities
maximisation tool: increasing performance of practitioners. We anticipate that once
on any single element increases the they are deployed in real world scenarios,
chances of a positive outcome, even if all new and interesting uses will develop.
other elements are held constant. They Practitioners might find the Public Impact
can also be used as a differentiation tool, Fundamentals useful for self-assessments,
which allows policymakers to assess forward planning or progress tracking. We
the likely performance of a number of look forward to working with policymakers
alternative worlds and pick the initiative to refine the uses of the Public Impact
that stands the best chance of succeeding. Fundamentals.
13
How did we develop the the Public Impact Fundamentals provide

Public Impact Fundamentals? a bridge between the world’s leading
thinkers in this area and the frontline staff
In developing our approach, we have who are engaged in delivering government
worked with distinguished academics from services day after day.
the world’s leading public policy schools
as well as senior government officials We developed this framework using two
from across the globe. We have also methods. The first involved an analysis of
rigorously tested our work by collaborating academic writing1 and an identification of
with academics from the Hertie School the common themes in the literature. The
of Governance. Our intention has second method involved an analysis of
been to develop a framework that not over 200 cases of public policies (many of
only represents the most cutting-edge which are now online on the Public Impact
academic work but is also immediately Observatory) from across the world and in
usable by government officials from various policy areas in order to understand
central to local administrations as well as the elements that contributed to their
international organisations. In this way, success.
Figure 1
Cases from around the world… … relating to various policy areas

250
Economics and Finance 70
216
200 34 Technology 50
City / Urban 49
34
150
Education 48
Cases
49
Energy and Environment 43
100
47 Health 41
50 Infrastructure 32
52
Justice 30
0
Total Latin Africa North Europe Asia & 0 20 40 60 80
America America Oceania
Number of cases
1 See, for example, Bardach, E. and Patashnik, E.M., A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More
Effective Problem Solving (2012) CQ Press; Cairney, P., How Can Policy Theory Have an Impact on Policy Making? (2013)
International Conference on Public Policy; Cochran, C.E., Mayer. L.C., Carr, T.R., Cayer, N.J., McKenzie, M. and Peck,
L., American Public Policy: An Introduction, 11th Edition (2016) Cengage Learning; Dunn, W., Public Policy Analysis:
An Introduction (2011) Pearson; Hulme, D., Savoia, A. and Sen, J., Governance as a global development goal? Setting,
measuring and monitoring the Post-2015 Development Agenda (2014) Effective States and Inclusive Development,
Kaufmann, D., Kraay A. and Zoido-Lobatón , P., Governance matters (1999) The World Bank; Theoudolou, S.Z. and Cahn,
M.A., Public Policy: The Essential Readings (2013) Pearson; and Young, J., Shaxson, L., Jones, H., Hearn, S., Datta, A. and
Cassidy, C., A Guide to Policy Engagement and Influence (2015) Overseas Development Institute.
14
Public Impact
Figure 2 /PUBLIC CONFIDENCE

/STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
/POLITICAL COMMITMENT
LEGITIMACY
ACTION
POLICY
/CLEAR OBJECTIVES
/EVIDENCE
/FEASIBILITY
/MANAGEMENT
/MEASUREMENT
/ALIGNMENT
Our work has found that three things case studies. The test examined the
are fundamental to public impact: relationship between good performance
Legitimacy, Policy and Action. These on each of the elements and the
Public Impact Fundamentals are each likelihood of public impact. The scholars
supported by three elements, which developed a methodology that allowed
collectively contribute to performance on them to code performance on each of
each Fundamental (see Figure 2). the nine elements of the Public Impact
Fundamentals and, separately, evaluate
We partnered with a team of scholars the public impact of each case. Their
from the Hertie School of Governance analysis identified positive correlations
to empirically test the Public Impact between better performance in the
Fundamentals against independent elements and increased public impact.
15
Good policy – policy that achieves desired The Public Impact Fundamentals are
ends in cost effective ways – is rarely mutually reinforcing: better performance
technically easy and can sometimes be in one element creates the enabling
politically challenging. If a policy is to be environment for better performance
effective and seen to be so, thus garnering in others. In this way, they provide a
broad support, a case must be made tangible method for working towards
that is both well founded and based on successful outcomes. Even if policymakers
engagement with stakeholders. This is not can only influence one element of the
rocket science, but it is often neglected. The Fundamentals, the relationship between
three components that constitute the Public each element means that even working
Impact Fundamentals, and their nine on this one element can increase the
constituent elements in particular, provide likelihood of success.
a ready checklist of wide applicability
On the following pages you will find more
for policymakers. Finding a way of
Public
detail Impact
about Observatory
the Public Impact
institutionalising these, akin to Regulation
Fundamentals and their nine elements.
Impact Assessment requirements, could Using the framework of the Public
prove a useful safeguard against poor Impact Fundamentals, CPI developed
policy decisions. the Public Impact Observatory, a
Professor Gary Banks comprehensive database of case
Chief Executive and Dean of Australia and New
studies of public sector initiatives.
Zealand School of Government
These case studies cover different
regions of the world and eight key
The Public Impact Fundamentals are also themes: city/urban, economic/finance,
intended to be used as a checklist for education, energy/environment, health,
practitioners. Our work has shown that infrastructure, justice, and technology.
the better an initiative performs on each Each study outlines the challenge that
of the elements, the higher the chances a public body sought to address, along
of its successfully achieving public with its objectives, methodology and
impact. In this way, the Public Impact impact, and evaluates the initiative
Fundamentals are a “maximisation using the nine elements of the Public
framework”: it allows one to focus on Impact Fundamentals. Each element
targeted interventions that can improve is given a rating on a four-point scale
performance in any of the nine elements ranging from weak to strong.
and thereby maximise the potential for an
initiative to have a positive public impact.
16
LEGITIMACY
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
POLITICAL COMMITMENT
Legitimacy
Legitimacy refers to the underlying support
for a government or public body
17
Unlike many other frameworks developed

in the private sector for application
to the public sector, the Public Impact
normative and ethical frameworks.3
Fundamentals rightly give proper emphasis
Conferring legitimacy on an institution is
to building legitimacy among citizens and
therefore an act based on the expression
elected representatives. This emphasis is
of shared values, or of “moral alignment”.
justified practically by the fact government
Institutional legitimacy flows not simply
activities are financed through taxes raised
from factors such as procedural fairness
and assigned through democratic processes,
but is also based in public perceptions
and philosophically by the idea that any
that authorities share broadly similar
use of public authority or public dollars
moral positions.4
has to find favour with citizens, taxpayers,
and their elected representatives as well as The importance of legitimacy to public
satisfy direct beneficiaries of government impact is therefore clear – when
action. The processes of building legitimacy it is absent, it can lead to tension
through consultation and policymaking, between members of both dominant
and of using the mandates that emerge and nondominant groups and lead to
from these processes as a framework of intergroup conflict. When combined
accountability that can define, animate, with instability, a lack of legitimacy
and guide the creation of public value becomes a powerful incitement for
is as important a managerial task as attempts to change the status quo.5 The
using administrative tools to control the widespread existence of legitimating
deployment of the assets in achieving beliefs can also reduce the transaction
desired results. costs of governing by reducing reliance
Mark Moore on coercion and monitoring. This leads
Hauser Professor of Nonprofit Organizations,
to an increased likelihood of compliance
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and
Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School with governmental rules and regulations.
Accordingly, governments and bodies that
Legitimacy ordinarily involves popular are legitimate tend to be more successful
approval of a government and its in achieving impact.
governors or, at least, an acceptance
Our research demonstrates that legitimacy
of their right to rule.2 People confer
is influenced by three elements:
legitimacy on institutions not simply
because of an adherence to standards of 1. Public confidence
good behaviour but because they regard 2. Stakeholder engagement
the institutions as representing particular 3. Political commitment
2 Levi, M. and Sacks, A., Legitimating beliefs: Sources and indicators, (2009) Regulation & Governance Journal.
3 Beetham, D., The Legitimation of Power (1991) Palgrave
4 Hough, M., Jackson, J., Bradford, B., Myhill, A. and Quinton, P., Procedural Justice, Trust and Institutional Legitimacy
(2010) Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 4/3: 203—210
5 Tajfel, H., Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, p. 52(1982) Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 33: 1-39
18
Public confidence survivors with serious disabilities. In 2004,

the country’s Ministry of Health began
Public confidence refers to the extent
an immunisation programme using a
to which the general public trusts the
specially developed vaccine, and by 2007
institutions involved in policymaking to act the epidemic had been halted and the
competently and in support of the wider number of cases significantly reduced.
public interest. Trustworthy government
helps promote social trust and the Public confidence in the immunisation
cooperative behaviours that support programme was crucial to its success.
democracy. Public confidence in one’s There was a high level of public
government or its institutions may be the acceptance of the need for the
most consequential element of legitimacy, intervention and there was no widespread
in the sense that if it is undermined then public concern regarding the safety of the
more cataclysmic or large-scale changes in vaccine. The vaccination campaign was
a society are possible.6 rolled out in phases, with the highest-risk
areas offered immunisation first and, once
An example of the importance of public the vaccine was shown to be safe and
confidence is shown in a case study effective in these areas, lower risk areas
of New Zealand’s meningococcal B were vaccinated. This was done alongside
immunisation programme. In the 1990s, a public information campaign. The public
New Zealand suffered a major epidemic acceptance of the programme ensured a
of meningococcal disease. It resulted in speedy and successful resolution of the
nearly 250 deaths and left many of the epidemic.7
6 Levi, M. and Stoker, L., Political trust and trustworthiness (2000) Annual Review of Political Science 3: 475–507
7 More information can be found in the full version of this case study, which can be accessed in our Public Impact
Observatory.
19
Stakeholder engagement In many citizens’ minds, government

has faded away from their day-to-day
The procedural steps taken by
lives. It’s no longer seen as relevant. This
authoritative decision-makers during the
means people no longer see evidence
policy cycle can affect both stakeholders’
of government as a force for something
and the public’s perception of a policy’s
immediately positive. They don’t see it;
legitimacy.11 Factors such as the emotive
they don’t feel its relevance; and therefore
appeals made to gain support for an
government loses some of its legitimacy.
initiative and the processes of stakeholder
involvement shape the legitimacy of It is therefore, fundamentally important for
public policies and the governments that governments to re-connect with citizens in
promote them.12 Fostering a relationship order to regain social license by affirming
between policymakers and stakeholders and directly linking relevance, impact and
can also improve the fit between an legitimacy – which is where stakeholder
original policy and the delivery of public engagement comes in. Government needs to
services.13 use engagement with stakeholder groups to
communicate and reiterate its positive role
Engaging stakeholders in the debate in creating a strong society and economy. A
on policy design, development and stronger relationship between government
implementation is therefore crucial to and citizens will then follow.
achieving good outcomes.14 Effective Maryantonett Flumian, President of the
stakeholder engagement starts with a Institute on Governance, Canada
clear objective for consultation, followed
by the identification of people and
organisations with a clear interest in the a wide range of competencies throughout
initiative. This allows policymakers to the engagement process, such as skilled
understand stakeholders, their roles and political enablers, storytellers, networkers
divergent interests. Seeking cooperation and engineers.16
between these interests avoids problems
In Ghana, for example, stakeholder
of coordination and organisation in
engagement ensured an orderly
pursuing policy objectives.15 To this end, it
presidential election in 2008. The
may be necessary to draw on people with
Ghanaian Electoral Commission
8 Klitgaard, R. and Light, P.C., High Performance Government: Structure, Leadership, Incentives (2005) RAND
9 Mintzberg, H., Power In and Around Organizations (1983) Prentice-Hall
Observatory.
11 Howlett, M., From the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ policy design: design thinking beyond markets and collaborative governance
(2014) Policy Science
12 Wallner, J., Legitimacy and Public Policy: Seeing Beyond Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Performance (2008)
13 Mintrom, M. and Luetjens, J. Creating Public Value: Tightening Connections between Policy Design and Public
Management (2015) Policy Studies Journal.
20
engaged national and international with a mandate to reform the police and
NGOs to monitor voting, set up a task address the high levels of crime and
force to ensure safety and security at unrest. He restructured the force and
polling stations, investigated electoral recruited an able group of army veterans,
registrations and initiated public senior law enforcers and administrators
awareness campaigns. The outcome was to revitalise the state government
a transparent, peaceful election whose and strengthen crime prevention. The
result was not contested. 17
initiatives were strongly backed by Kumar
himself and he was directly involved in
Political commitment attracting experienced administrators
and police to Bihar. Kumar also took
Reforms require both political will and pains to insulate the police from
analytical acumen.8 The willingness of political interference. Buoyed by the
political leaders to spend political capital chief minister’s support, the police force
in support of the policy objective directly became an effective law enforcement
influences legitimacy.9 Political leaders agency with the equipment, resources
may leverage their influence to build and autonomy required to carry out
consensus in favour of a policy objective its duties. The result was a significant
and through their decision to be affiliated decrease in violent crimes such as
with a policy have an impact on the homicide (36%), banditry (53%) and
likelihood of its success. When there is kidnapping (77%).10
active political opposition to a policy it
affects the perceived legitimacy of an
initiative. What follows is decreased trust
in the need for the policy or a lack of
legitimacy for the organisations charged
with delivering it. This makes it harder to
achieve impact.
A good case study example is the

successful anti-corruption initiative in
the police force of Bihar, India. Nitish
Kumar was elected as chief minister
of Bihar, India’s poorest state, in 2005
14 Riege, A., Knowledge management in the public sector: stakeholder partnerships in the public policy development
(2006) Journal of Knowledge Management
15 Jacobs, A., and Matthews, J.S., Why Do Citizens Discount the Future? Public Opinion and the Timing of Policy
Consequences (2012) British Journal of Political Science 42-4: 903-935
16 Young, J. et al. (2015)
17 More information can be found in the full version of this case study, which can be accessed in our Public Impact Observatory.
21
POLICY
CLEAR OBJECTIVES
EVIDENCE
FEASIBILITY
Policy
Clear objectives, strong evidence and an
understanding of what is feasible are
crucial to good policy
The quality of the policy matters. Clear state. As such, it takes as a principal unit
objectives, strong evidence and an of analysis the individual or organisation
understanding of what is feasible are responsible for making decisions.19 Much
crucial to good policy. Any reform, will of the discussion of policy has thus
almost certainly upset the equilibrium of revolved around the following question:
the existing policy mix and will, depending to what extent can policymakers be
on its characteristics, set in motion a considered rational actors who accumulate
number of different responses. Some will information, assess alternative courses
occur in the public arena, others will be of action and choose among them on
largely played out in a bureaucratic con the basis of their potential to achieve the
text. Some responses will have only a decision-makers’ preferences?20
minor impact on effective implementation,
Picking the policy that will have the
while others will bring the pursuit of the
greatest impact is undoubtedly a complex
new policy into question or may even
problem. In our work, we found that there
threaten the government’s very existence.
were three elements that increased the
The extent to which the costs and benefits likelihood of designing a policy that had
of a reform are dispersed or concentrated, the greatest chance of success:
its technical and administrative content,
1. Clear objectives
and the length of time taken for its results
to become apparent – these are significant 2. Evidence
characteristics of policy and organisational 2. Feasibility
reform that determine the nature of
the conflicts that will emerge during Government is always going to be
implementation. underfunded and there are always going
to be distractions or emergencies. But by
They also signal the kind of resources
having the appropriate vision around your
needed by reform advocates to sustain the
initiatives you can keep focused even as
policy or organisational initiative.18
you have to deal with different things.
There are various models that offer theories You have to deal with them well, but you
about the impact of policy on the change also have to keep everyone focused on
process. The political sciences literature the longer-term goals that you’re trying to
has focused on analysing decision-making achieve.
within the organisational context of the John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado
18 Grindle, M.S. and Thomas, J.W., Policy makers, policy choices, and policy outcomes: The political economy of reform in
developing countries (1989), Policy Science 22: 213
19 Grindle and Thomas (1989)
20 See Allison, G.T., Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis (1971), Frohock, F.M., Public policy: scope
and logic (1979); Killick, T., The possibilities of development planning (1976), Oxford Economic Papers, 28(2); March, J.G.
Bounded Rationality, Ambiguity, and the Engineering of Choice (1978) Bell Journal of Economics, 9: 587–608; and Robinson,
J.A. and Majak, R.R., The Theory of Decision-Making in Charlesworth, J.C. (ed.), Contemporary Political Analysis (1967)
23
Clear objectives
When it comes to shaping sustainable
Setting clear objectives in the early stage solutions, some of that relates to finances
of design is crucial to developing good but there’s more to the story. If you don’t
policy. They are important in defining have clear targets, or a sense for ‘better’
the borders of policy because they allow you might lose track of your goals. And
for specific problems to be selected and it really is true that if you can’t measure
prioritised by local actors. To this end,
21
something, you will struggle to manage it.
the objectives of a policy should reveal Melanie Walker, Director of the President’s
why the change is being proposed, who it Delivery Unit and Senior Advisor to
will affect, what needs to be done about it, President Jim Yong Kim at the
World Bank Group
and where one actor stands in relation to
others who are also trying to bring about
change.22 Mexican government responded to these
levels by initiating ProAire, a programme
The inclusion of targets or indicators to address pollution on several fronts,
is particularly important when setting including reducing industrial and
objectives. Targets increase the pressure automobile emissions, raising public
on governments, bureaucracies and civil awareness, and promoting cleantech and
society and lead to a greater focus on
23
green methods of transport.
continuous improvement.24
The objectives of ProAire were clear
One example of the importance of clear
and measurable and were maintained
objectives can be seen in the case of
throughout its implementation. Within
Mexico City’s ProAire programme. Of
four years Mexico City had surpassed its
the 20 megacities whose air quality
carbon emissions target reduction of 7
was measured by the World Health
million tonnes, and in 2013 it won the
Organization (WHO) and the UN in 1992,
Siemens Climate Leadership Award for Air
Mexico City had the highest levels of
Quality.25
pollution. The city administration and the
21 Andrews, M., Pritchett, L. and Woolcock, M., The Challenge of Building (Real) State Capability (2015) Center for
International Development at Harvard University
22 Young et al. (2015)
23 Foresti, M., Wild, L., Takeuchi, L.R. and Norton, A., Governance targets and indicators for post 2015 (2014)
24 Hulme et al. (2014)
Observatory.
24
Political leaders struggling to deliver on

their promises is nothing new – a look
through the history books showcases stories Naturally, the policy process is not that
of kings and emperors, presidents and simple: studies of the use of evidence
prime ministers, seeking to improve the in policymaking show that context
lives of their citizens and very often coming is a central factor in determining
up short. Although huge government appropriateness.28 “Evidence” is unlikely
departments should – in theory at least to be neutral and unproblematic: its
– enable these leaders to deliver positive definition is part of the policy process and
outcomes for citizens, they frequently depends heavily on context. What is clear,
become barriers to implementation. however, is that identifying good evidence
is crucial to good policy because it allows
Overcoming these hurdles requires not only
policymakers to: (1) assess the nature
the setting of priorities and ambition – both
and extent of a problem; (2) assess the
key ingredients for transformation – but
particular features of the policy situation,
also defining what outcome is actually
for example, demographic changes; and
intended. Although the setting of targets
(3) assess policies that may have proved
can leave one open to charges of “control
effective in similar situations.29
freakery” or “top-down command and
control”, if the definition of success is not In New Zealand, for example, the
clear then the direction of travel will likely incidence of Sudden Infant Death
veer off course. Syndrome (SIDS), or cot death, was
Sir Michael Barber, former Head of the UK higher in the 1980s than in any other
Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit
developed country. A case-control study
was conducted from 1987 to 1990 which
Evidence demonstrated that there were three
By gathering evidence on what works, main risk factors for SIDS: the sleeping
governments can design policies that best position of the infant, maternal smoking,
fit the circumstances in which they are and a lack of breastfeeding. In 1991,
to be implemented.26 This requires the the Department of Health initiated a
collection of information, data, examples prevention programme which focused
and frameworks that allow policymakers on these three areas and had an almost
to tackle a problem on the basis of the immediate impact, with a halving of the
best evidence and to devise optimal SIDS mortality rate within two years.30
solutions.27
26 Wesselink, A., Colebatch, H. and Pearce, W., Evidence and policy: discourses, meanings and practices (2014) Policy
Sciences
27 Klitgaard, R., Policy Analysis and Evaluation (2013); Deeming, C., Trials and Tribulations: The ‘Use’ (and ‘Misuse’) of
Evidence in Public Policy (2013) Social Policy and Administration
28 Wesselink et al. (2014)
29 Bardach and Patashnik (2012)
Observatory.
25
Feasibility The financial feasibility of the proposals,

as well as the economic recovery plans
Feasibility refers to absence of significant
for the three countries most affected,
technical, legal or operational challenges
were addressed by the relevant NGOs.
to the policy. A policy initiative is more
The plan also identified a precise
likely to achieve its intended outcomes
amount of finance required, and the
when the question of how the policy is to
World Bank mobilised funding from the
be implemented has been an integral part
International Development Alliance and
of its design.31 To ensure the feasibility
the International Finance Corporation.
of a proposed policy, broad sets of actors
The health-based response was based on
should be engaged to ensure that the
previous initiatives and the knowledge and
policy is viable and implementable.32
experience of the national ministries of
Proper planning provides a map of
health and the health NGOs. In January
how an initiative will be implemented,
2016, the WHO was able to declare the
addressing matters such as timeframe,
end of the outbreak.
phases of implementation, responsibilities,
resourcing and compliance.33
One of the biggest legacies of the
The WHO’s response to the 2014 Ebola
introduction of behavioural sciences
epidemic in West Africa demonstrates
into government is that it has made
the importance of feasibility studies.
credible the experimental approach. To
The WHO, with 11 West African nations,
incorporate experimental methods deeply
developed an Outbreak Response Plan
into policymaking is a fundamental game-
to control the transmission and spread of
changer. We’re kind of in the dark ages on
Ebola.
most policy and professional practices, and
apart from a tiny percentage we don’t really
know if things are truly effective, and we
certainly don’t know if a small variation
would make things more effective.
David Halpern, Chief Executive of the UK’s
Behavioural Sciences Team
31 Australian National Audit Office, Successful Implementation of Policy Initiatives: Best Practice Guide (2014)
32 Andrews et al. (2015)
33 Australian National Audit Office (2014)
26
ACTION
MANAGEMENT
MEASUREMENT
ALIGNMENT
Action
Action is the translation of policies into
real-world effect
27
Despite its importance, action is often the of a policy decision.38 For example, do
most neglected of our Fundamentals. This disadvantaged children improve their
neglect is due in part to the assumption reading or maths skills as a consequence
that “once a policy has been ’made’ of an innovative education programme?
by a government, the policy will be In this way, those investigating impact
implemented and the desired results of typically ask: “what happened?”
the policy will be near those expected by
By contrast, those studying action will
the policymakers”.34 The implementation
focus on activities that affect the rendering
process is assumed to be a series of
of public services,39 and they will be
mundane decisions and interactions
asking: “why did it happen this way?”40 A
unworthy of the attention of those seeking
policy may be implemented effectively but
the heady stuff of politics. Most of the
fail to have a substantial impact because
crucial policy issues are often seen to have
it was ill-conceived – or because of other
been resolved in the prior decisions of
circumstances. Hence, successful action
executives, legislators, and judges.35
may be a necessary – but not sufficient
This leads to different definitions of the – condition for the attainment of public
concept. Some see it as the actions of impact.
public and private individuals (or groups)
that are directed at the achievement We have found that three elements tend
of objectives set out in previous policy to contribute to good action:
decisions.36 Others focus on whether
1. Management
an organisation can bring together
2. Measurement
people and material in a cohesive unit
and motivate them to carry out stated 3. Alignment
objectives.37
Although action is fundamental to public

impact, it is important to draw a clear
distinction between the two. Action does
not constitute impact. The study of
impact searches for the consequences
34 Smith, T., The Policy Implementation Process, (1973) Policy Sciences 4.2, pp. 197-8
35 Van Meter, D.S. and Van Horn, C.E., The Policy Implementation Process (1975)
36 Van Meter and Van Horn (1975)
37 Williams, W., Social Policy Research and Analysis, (1971), Elsevier Publishers p. 144
38 Dolbeare K.M. and Hammond P.E., The School Prayer Decisions: From Court Policy to Local Practice (1971) University of
Chicago Press
28
Management Active leadership is essential to good

management,44 and a leadership
Management refers to the extent to
team’s initial objective is to develop an
which mechanisms are implemented to
appropriate performance strategy. This
ensure that progress is made. It allows
will involve employees, collaborators and
policymakers to assess whether the most
citizens in achieving a specific public
appropriate systems are in place, the right
purpose or, alternatively, in eliminating
people with relevant skill sets matched to
or mitigating an important performance
appropriate tasks, and the interventions
deficit that is preventing them from
structured in an effective manner.41 This
achieving their purpose.45
process involves measurement, analysis,
feedback, evaluation, calibration and
adjustment.42 Successful implementation
relies on the identification and
management of risk, which promotes
accurate, well-informed judgements.43

44 Metzenbaum, S., Performance Management: The Real Research Challenge (2013) Public Administration Review;
Bouckaert, G.et al., The Coordination of Public Sector Organizations: Shifting Patterns of Public Management (2010)
Palgrave Macmillan
45 Behn, R.D., On Why All Public Officials Need to Follow the Basic Rule: Always Start with Purpose (2013) Harvard
University, Performance Leadership Report
29
Madagascar’s 2005 primary education trained to implement the AGEMAD

programme demonstrates the importance interventions in order to adhere to the
of management. Primary school education strict requirements for implementation
in Madagascar had been plagued by and data collection. As a result of
underachievement and low levels of AGEMAD, school attendance increased
literacy and numeracy. To address the by 87%, the number of pupils repeating
problem, in 2005 the Madagascar Ministry school years was reduced and their test
of Education partnered with J-PAL, an scores were significantly higher.46
anti-poverty NGO, in a new programme,
Improving Education Management in Measurement
Madagascar (AGEMAD).
Measurement is the main tool of
The function of AGEMAD was to trial implementation.47 It can dramatically
interventions at different levels of improve service quality in public agencies48
educational management, from district and allows for feedback loops that
administration to individual primary enable the timely adjustment of policy to
schools. The programme’s objectives were facilitate successful implementation.49 It
to improve the educational performance is accordingly fundamental to ensuring
of primary school pupils, increase school successful action.
attendance, reduce the number of pupils
who repeated school years, and raise pupil Public managers and civil servants
test scores. should not go looking for their one
magic performance measure. Instead,
There was a well-defined, hierarchical they should begin by deciding on
management structure. Each district the managerial purposes to which
administrator managed an average of 14 performance measurement may
sub-district administrators, and each sub- contribute. Only then can they select a
district administrator was responsible for set of performance measures with the
about 10 school directors who managed characteristics necessary to help them
three teachers and 177 students on achieve these purposes.50
average. A separate team was hired and
Observatory.
47 Newcomer, K., Forging a Strategic and Comprehensive Approach to Evaluation Within Public and Nonprofit Organizations
– Integrating Measurement and Analytics Within Evaluation (2015) American Journal of Evaluation
48 Bardach and Patachnik (2012)
50 Behn, R.D., Why Measure Performance? Different Purposes Require Different Measures (2003); Yang, K., Managerial
Effectiveness of Government Performance Measurement: Testing a Middle-Range Model (2007) Public Administration
Review
30
Government is now in the deliverology

business. How long is the waiting time at
a hospital? How long before emergency
recent sharp decline.” As a result of its
services show up at someone’s house or at
success in Brazil, this form of “investment
a fire? All these things are quantifiable and
in human capital” has since been adopted
you manage against them. Unfortunately
by administrations from New York City to
most people in government grew up
the Philippines.51
thinking they should manage against
politics, and not against performance.
Joel Klein, former Commissioner
Alignment
of Schools, New York City
The actors required to make change
happen need to share an alignment of
Brazil’s Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) interests in relation to the policy objective.
is a government programme that was To this end, coordination is fundamental
introduced in 2003 by President Lula and to the development of a sense of shared
serves to demonstrate the importance mission.52 When actors cooperate
of measurement. The PBF makes cash effectively, when they are equipped to
transfers to low-income families on execute their part of the initiative and are
condition, for example, that they send their highly motivated, implementation tends to
children to school and ensure that they are be more successful.53 It is therefore clear
properly vaccinated. Several indicators were that alignment is a significant contributing
used to measure the impact of the PBF, factor to successful action.
such as: the types of beneficiary; the levels
The municipal turnaround in Cape Town
of family and individual income; school
underlines why alignment is so important.
enrolments and children’s educational
Cape Town’s renaissance from 2007
achievements; and health indicators such
onwards has taken it from being a city
as vaccine rates and height/weight relative
with a crumbling infrastructure and severe
to age. Effective monitoring tools and
levels of poverty, unemployment and
agencies were also dedicated to improving
crime to a well-run, solvent and stable
the PBF’s performance.
municipality, with growing racial and
It is estimated that “the level of extreme gender equality. At the heart of this revival
poverty would be between 33% and 50% was its five-year development plan, a
higher without the PBF. The programme blueprint for socioeconomic reform, which
has also contributed to reducing income was executed in a gradual and pragmatic
inequality, accounting for 12%-21% of the fashion.
Observatory.
52 Besley, T. and Ghatak, M., Incentives, choice and accountability in the provision of public services (2003) IFS Working
Papers W03/08, Institute for Fiscal Studies
31
It is far simpler to coordinate policies in to 23,000. Data showed a steep increase

the abstract than actually implement them in staff morale. The city also increased
in our territories – they are all different. annual spending on new capital
This means we have to really focus on our infrastructure projects from US$161
alignment. million to US$806 million and doubled
Paula Acosta, Director of Strategic Delivery for
its annual expenditure on maintenance
President Santos of Colombia and repairs. Additionally, the city’s budget
was well monitored and managed and
provided stability to the city’s strategic
planning and operations. This new
The gradual process of political integration
management meant that money could be
merged the 35 municipalities that made
invested in critical areas to help improve
up the greater Cape Town area into 7 local
the quality of life of citizens.
authorities, which became in 2010 a single
local authority with a population of almost All this resulted in Cape Town being
3.5 million residents. This meant that the rated in 2010 as having the best local
different areas of the wider city cooperated government in South Africa. Furthermore,
more efficiently with each other. in the same year it successfully co-hosted
the World Cup, while 100% of houses had
By March 2009, Cape Town had stabilised
access to basic sanitation and 92% had
the bureaucracy in the city and increased
access to electricity.54
the number of employers from 19,000
Observatory.
32
Conclusion
We believe that the Public Impact Observatory available via the Centre for
Fundamentals offer a new and compelling Public Impact website, maps hundreds
set of insights into how governments of impact case studies around the world
can systematically improve outcomes. against the Fundamentals. This should
It is our hope that policymakers, and help to stimulate new ideas by highlighting
those who seek to influence them, will examples with different strengths and
be able to start using the Public Impact weaknesses. We will also be developing
Fundamentals as a practical tool to test tools that groups can use to help apply the
and improve policy as it is conceived, Fundamentals to specific policy problems.
developed and implemented. For example,
We welcome feedback and reactions to the
existing policies and initiatives can be
Fundamentals and will seek to improve
tested against the Fundamentals to
and refine them over time. Our ultimate
identify strengths and weaknesses and as
aim is to initiate a conversation about
new objectives emerge, the Fundamentals
how public impact can be improved and
can help to ensure impact is embedded
to support those who wish to take the next
into the thinking from the outset.
step to doing so.
To help apply the Fundamentals, we will
be making a series of supporting tools
available. For example, the Public Impact
33
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37
LEGITIMACY POLICY ACTION
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE CLEAR OBJECTIVES MANAGEMENT
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT EVIDENCE MEASUREMENT
POLITICAL COMMITMENT FEASIBILITY ALIGNMENT
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July 2018

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LEGITIMACY

The Public Impact

The Public Impact Fundamentals 12

The first edition of this report was published in October 2016

We would also like to express our sincere

Our final thanks go to members of the

We have found that three things are

Importantly, the Public Impact Fundamentals The processes of building legitimacy

Sir Michael Barber

In my experiences in the UK, and That there is now frustration in many

And yet working in government remains

The Public Impact Fundamentals

We have found three components to be

Legitimacy refers to the underlying

The quality of the policy matters.

POLICY Ideally, policymakers will accumulate

Action is the translation of policies

ACTION neglected of our Fundamentals. It is

1. Public confidence 2. Stakeholder engagement 3. Political commitment

1. Clear objectives 2. Evidence 3. Feasibility

1. Management 2. Measurement 3. Alignment

The Public Impact Fundamentals

Fundamentals (see figure 2), a

elements of successful policies and which the Public Impact Fundamentals

maximisation tool: increasing performance of practitioners. We anticipate that once

can also be used as a differentiation tool, Fundamentals useful for self-assessments,

which allows policymakers to assess forward planning or progress tracking. We

the likely performance of a number of look forward to working with policymakers

that stands the best chance of succeeding. Fundamentals.

How did we develop the the Public Impact Fundamentals provide

Cases from around the world… … relating to various policy areas

Figure 2 /PUBLIC CONFIDENCE

Unlike many other frameworks developed

Public confidence survivors with serious disabilities. In 2004,

Stakeholder engagement In many citizens’ minds, government

A good case study example is the

Political leaders struggling to deliver on

Feasibility The financial feasibility of the proposals,

Although action is fundamental to public

Management Active leadership is essential to good

39 Van Meter and Van Horn (1975)

Madagascar’s 2005 primary education trained to implement the AGEMAD

Government is now in the deliverology

It is far simpler to coordinate policies in to 23,000. Data showed a steep increase

Beetham, D., The Legitimation of Power (1991), Palgrave

Dunn, W., Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction (2011) Pearson

Frohock, F.M., Public policy: scope and logic (1979) Prentice-Hall

Mintzberg, H., Power In and Around Organizations (1983) Prentice-Hall

Yang, K., Managerial Effectiveness of Government Performance Measurement: Testing a Middle-

The Centre for Public Impact is a global not-for-profit

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