Policy making and policy- capacity building Prof. Tatiana Tomova

Introduction Classical Rational Problem solving model Public sector Limitations Define the problemProblems are interlined Determine important social values No agreement on social value Identify all alternativesLimited time, knowledge Assess all alternativeLack of predictability Select optimal alternativePressure to select the first good solution Implement optimal alternativeShort time horizon to produce results

Introduction Traditional researchPolicy analysis Seek “truth”Is practical Explicit steps and procedures Flexible, situational Addresses broad questionsAddresses local problems Focus on complexityFocus on decision making ScienceCraft

Policy concept The notion: Whatever the government decides to do or to do not; Behind the concept: the changed role of the State; The Policy community: Horizontal interaction between State and Society actors The interaction content: the trade of interest and influence

The related notions Policy stakeholders: the groups, organizations or persons with influence and/or interest in the policy result Policy objectives, instruments, results Policy rationality: to achieve the policy objectives at reasonable price Policy effectiveness: the grade of the policy objective achievement Policy efficiency: the relation between the cost ant the benefits

The consequences of the policy concept use The policy is the variable, the process traits are the factors; The policy rationality depends on the Process parameters: the stakeholders and their interaction, the time for decision, the problem information etc.; The policy rationality increase depends on the policy process parameters improvement.

Thesis The main factors for the policy rationality is the rational behavior of the stakeholders, That means Every stakeholder advocate its own interest And Has the capacity for policy analysis

Stakeholders analysis in the area of child poverty: Table of stakeholders’ interest Stakeholdersinterests+/- Ministries Regulating agencies Municipalities Courts Universities NGO Other organizations Business

Stakeholders analysis in the area of child poverty: table of interest and influence Stakeholdersinterestinfluence Ministries Regulating agencies Municipalities Courts Universities NGO Other organisations Business

Stakeholders analysis in the area of child poverty: Matrix of importance and influence

Policy analysis in six steps (Carl V. Patton) Verify, define and detail the problem; Establish evaluation criteria; Identify alternative policies; Evaluate alternative policies; Display and distinguish among the alternative policies; Monitoring the implementing policy.

The issues The measurement of poverty Relative against Absolute poverty: Not either, the both. (The European approach - Might it be contested?) Standards to measure the relative poverty – comparison with whom? The income – is it the unique measure? The house conditions; The consumption Access to the culture The entertainments

The problem identification: the problem tree

The issue Which problem is more important: The poverty existence, the size of poverty; The poverty gap, the difference between the people on the level of poverty threshold and the poorest people; The poverty persistence; The poverty of the special groups;

The issues Which is focal problem: Those perceived as a focal by the stakeholders? Those measured as a focal? Not either, the both

The issues Causes: The lone-parenthood; The low incomes of the household The size of the household The unemployment The social policy

The issues The effects Drop-off the school Teen pregnancy and early marriages The criminality among young people The risk behavior The health problems The persistence of poverty

The objectives tree To transform the statements of the problems tree into desirable outcomes What to do??? with The lone-parenthood; The low incomes of the household The size of the household The unemployment The social policy

The criteria Cost Net benefit Effectiveness Efficiency Equity Administrative ease Legality Political acceptability

The issue The efficiency against the equity? How the equity achievement can be done in an efficient way??? The current answer: Targeted (to the groups in need) programs Sectoral (targeted to the special needs) programs Programs management

The alternatives To diminish the taxes / To increase the family allowances Universal approach/ targeted approach To give chances/to give benefits To support families (parents)/ to support children

The choice of alternative There is not an uncontested alternative The political approach: The alternative approved by stakeholders seems the better solution; The rational approach: The alternatives should be assessed through the criteria; How to match the political and rational approach?

The Policy evaluation and monitoring How to ensure the appropriate implementation of the policies and the out-comes achievement Indicators for the desirable results: The share of the pupils dropped-off the school; The share of the pupils in the integrated schools The share of the pupils in the out-school educational forms The decrease of the infant mortality The limitation of the risk behavior The share of the children in the institutions The share of the children executed crime The number of the abused children.

The Policy capacity Two types of actors: of the State and of the Society Three axes of the policy capacity: Institutional: The procedures of horizontal coordination and participation The institutional capacity of the NGO sector Knowledge: Skills for policy analysis Ethical Public responsibility

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