Anka Kekez KoštroFaculty of Political Science

University of Zagrebakekez@fpzg.hr

PUBLIC POLICIES AND POLITICAL PROCESSES

Academy for Political Development

What are public policies?DIMENSIONS OF POLITICAL PHENOMENA

POLICY

The substantial action of the StateRational problem solving.

POLITICS

Structured power relations between political actors

POLITY

The system of rules and norms

In political community

THOMAS DYE: „whatever governments choose to do or not to do”

DEFINING PUBLIC POLICIES

Policy domains and sectors

Constituted by government'sinvolvement

Political decision making

Goals and instruments

Inaction, impact without action

DEFINING PUBLIC POLICIES

Public policy may::• Regulate behavior• Organize administration and

partnership for service provision• Distribute benefits or extract

taxes• Inform and educate

POLICY INSTRUMENTS

SUBSTANTIVE AREAS: Defense Energy Environment Foreign affairs Education Welfare Health Education Economic opportunity ........

Context of policy process

Birači, interesne skupine, stranke

Political system

Policy input Policy output

Budget;Decisions, Laws,

Directives ...

Policy outcomes

Results

Environment

Social and economic conditionsSource:

MAP Savjetovanja

Voters, interest groups, parties

Dimensions and complexity of public policies

Transformation of governing process: government to governance

Vertical, but also horizontal dimension of policy process

PUBLIC GOVERNANCE/PUBLIC

MANAGEMENTPublic policies are created by

Government Experts

Stakeholders

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Decision makers

Legislative executive

Direct implementers

- public administration

Stakeholders– interest groups, experts, parties,

International actors– EU,

WB

Governmental agencies

Other level’s of government

Oversight– judiciary branch and regulatory

agencies

Media and

public

Policy actors – vertical and horizontal dimensions

Policy cycle Agenda setting

Identifying problems Defining main goals

5. EVALUATION AND CHANGE

Assessment of achievements

Recommendation for continuation,

modification or termination

4. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION management and coordination

monitoring

2. FORMULATION/POLICY DEVELOPMENT

Identifying alternativesAssessing options

Development of policy design (goal and instruments)

3. DECISION MAKING AND LEGITIMIZATION

formation

implementation

PHASES AND ACTORS1. Agenda setting– large

number of actors 2. Policy formulation– number of actors

diminishing, growing importance of experts

3. Legitimization

formal actors media also

4. Implementation – defined

implementers, administration, but also partners from

society-

5. Evaluation -. Number of actors is

again increasing- public discussion

Izvor: MAP Savjetovanja

POLICY INSTRUMENTS AND POLICY DESIGN

M. Howlett, M. Ramesh, A. Perl, Studing Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems

NODALITY AUTHORITY TREASURE ORGANISATION

Information collection and release

Licenses

User charges

Subsidies

Grants

Loans

Direct provision of goods and services and public enterprises

Education and training

Regulation Taxes and tax expenditures

Use of family, community and voluntary organizations

Campaign and persuasion

Self-regulation Programfunding

Market creation

WHY STUDY PUBLIC POLICY?

3. POLITICAL PURPOSESAdvocacy, persuasion and support

to preferred policy solutions

1. SCIENTIFIC PURPOSESDESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION

scientific methods for generating and testing hypothesis

2. PROFESSIONAL PRESCRIPTION

Application of knowledge in the solution of practical knowledge

Dye, 1987: 1-18

•STUDDING POLICY ISSUES)•STUDDING POLICY PROCESS•STUDDING OUTCOMES

•PUBLIC POLICY EVALUATION•EVIDENCE BASED POLICY MAKING

•PROCESS ADVOCACY•POLICY ADVOCACY

ANALYTICAL APPROACHES TO PUBLIC POLICY

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2. POLICY ANALYSIS– prescription

1.POLICY STUDIES–description and explanation

3. POLICY ADVOCACY -Advocacy, persuasion

Dye, 1987: 1-18 i Hill, 2010:1 -22

Policy analysis in policy cycle

POLICY PROBLEM ANALISIS

EX POST EVALUATION

POLICY DESIGN andEX ANTE EVALUATION

MONITORING AND MIDTERM EVALUATION

ACTOR’S ANALYSIS

formation

implementation

National

Mid-level - regional

Local

Family Centres

Labour Offices and other de-concentrated state officees

Social Welfare Offices

Socialinstitutions

Socialinstitutions

Socialinstitutions

SocialinstitutionsSocial

institutions

EXAMPLE OF ACTOR ANALYSIS: PARALLELISM IN CROATIAN SOCIAL POLICY

Horizontal dimension

Vertical dimension

WHERE IS THE MISSING LINK?

–Social Welfare Offices?

–Cities?–NGOs?–Users?–Counties?–..........