1. UGBS 105: Introduction to Public Administration
Public policy making
UGBS 105: Introduction to Public Administration

2. Outline Meaning of public policy Types of public policy
Sources of public policy
The process of making public policy
Why some policies do not work
Making public policies work
Summary

3. What is public policy?
Policy refers to a set of guidelines, or rules and regulations, which determine and underline the ways individuals or groups behave in a particular environment
Public policies are proposed courses of action, directed towards accomplishing some purposes or goals within the context of public business

4. Key features of public policies
Developed by governmental bodies (MDAs)
Goal-oriented, problem-solving instead of random actions or chance behaviours
Sometimes responsive to demands by private citizens or organized groups from within the public sector itself
Mostly have winners or losers or both
Based on the rule of law

5. Types of public policies
Substantive policies: They directly distribute benefits or costs to citizens
Procedural policies: How things get done
Distributive policies: Allocation of resources/services to particular segments of larger society
Regulatory policies: Impose restrictions on behaviours
Self-regulatory policies
Redistributive policies

6. Sources of public policies
Official policy makers have legitimate authority to take certain decisions in the public interest
Examples include – Legislators, CEOs, Judges, Administrators
However, the environment of their actions determine what they do largely

7. Sources of public policies
Constitutional and other legal demands
Political party manifestoes
Pressure groups
International conventions

8. The policy making process
Problem identification / Agenda setting
Data collection
Data analysis / diagnosis
Option appraisal
Implementation
Monitoring
Evaluation
Feedback

10. Why some policies do not work
Lack of political commitment
Political considerations may dampen the zeal of implementation
Resource constraints
Effects of policy demands on citizens
Intractability of many public problems
Unanticipated problems

11. Why some policies do not work (cont’d)
Lack of technical expertise
Failure to consider the political nature of the policy process
Inaccurate data
Lack of broad participation/consultation
Lack of proper monitoring, evaluation and feedback

12. Making public policies work
Broad participation and consultation
Human factors/skills (technical expertise)
Resource availability
The governance angle: Commitment from the policy actors to let it work

13. Summary
It would be extremely difficult to govern a country without a public policy. They provide the beacons for governance
Policies come in different types and with different intentions but the ultimate aim is about service to the people
Public policies emerge from various sources and it is important to consider the importance and influence of each

14. Summary The process provides a guide to arrive at good pubic policies
Different kinds of barriers work against the success of public policies
Public policies are made to work if interest is shown right from the design stage to the feedback phase
Policies must be made to work since they should not be assumed to work on their own

15. Trial questions
Identify any public policy that has not succeeded and discuss why you think it failed.
Why do you think it is very difficult to satisfy so many people through public policies?

16. Trial questions (cont’d)
Public policies form the bases of governmental decisions that direct activities within a country. Discuss.
Discuss the importance of the citizen’s understanding of the process of making public policies in a developing country like Ghana.