Public Policy Analysis MPA 404 Definition of Public

Public Policy Analysis MPA 404

Definition of Public Policy Ø Ø ‘Public’: relating to, or affecting all the people of a country or state ‘Policy’: prudence or wisdom in the management of affairs Is there a proper definition of the word ‘Public Policy’? Oxford Handbook of Public Policy “the study of public policy is a mood more than a science, a loosely organized body of precepts and positions rather than a tightly integrated body of systematic knowledge, more art and craft than a genuine ‘science’”. Other Definitions: Ø Policy is “whatever governments choose to do or not to do” (Dye, 1987); Ø “the relationship of governmental unit to its environment” (Eysestone, 1971); Ø “the actions, objectives, and pronouncements of governments on particular matters, the steps they take (or fail to take) to implement them, and the explanations they give for what happens (or does not happen)” (Wilson, 2006);

Ø “a purposive course of action or inaction undertaken by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a problem or matter of concern” (Anderson, 1994). Question: Why its difficult to put up a concise definition of ‘Public Policy’? Ø Lots of differences on the questions of what to study, how to study, which specific field is applicable or to consult regarding a specific problem, what methodology to apply, theoretical apparatus, etc. Ø There is no, single coherent syllabus regarding the subject of Public Policy or its analysis. There a few overarching, common themes (which we will across later) but teaching material varies according to needs, geographical locales or teaching styles. For example, much of the study of examples in the US institutions of public policy concentrate on teaching public policy from a US perspective. The historical and institutional basis is strictly focused on examples from the US. Ø Other institutions of public policy world over have more or less the same approach. Some tend to be more international in their approach (they include and analyze examples from world over), while some tend to focus strictly on the happenings in their geographical locales.

Question: So then why study public policy? Ø Consider the following challenges facing Pakistan; a) Pakistan’s total foreign debt amounts to more than $ 60 billion b) Pakistan’s exports have always been low compared to imports (except for a one or 2 years of its existence). Implication: more foreign currency flows out, thus dwindling our foreign exchange reserves. Lower foreign exchange reserve have their own negative implications (lower credit ratings plus difficulty in importing). c) Persistent power outages, load shedding and its negative impacts. d) Every Pakistani is now burdened with an average debt of Rs. 80, 000/-. e) Pakistan has some of the lowest human development indicators in the world, only better than a few African countries. f) Millions of school going children are out of school g) More than half of the population does not have access to clean drinking water. h) Sanitation conditions throughout the country are extremely poor. i) Pakistan is now considered a ‘water stressed’ country, meaning that per capita availability of water is dwindling day by day and water availability is low. j) Corruption is endemic and rampant.

These were just some examples, a glimpse of what Pakistan is facing in terms of challenges. The short of all this is that we need a policy to deal with these issues. If our policymakers had been good enough to deal with these kinds of issues over the course of time we wouldn’t have had so many problems to begin with. Ø Despite the vastness and the complexity of the subject, real world problems themselves present an incentive. Ø Millions of people around the world now working specifically as public policy analyst’s. It’s a challenging and rewarding career. Ø Opportunities for public policy specialists? Government, Academia, Research organizations, think tank’s, Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s). Ø Universities have dedicated schools of Public Policy. For example, Kennedy school of Government at Harvard.

Common Characteristics of a Public Policy Despite the vastness of the subject content, we turn to some of the commonalities of ‘why’ study public policy? The major ones are as follows. Ø Improving welfare of the citizens of a country. Ø Differentiate between good and bad policies. Ø Improve governance for better outcomes. Ø Towards a viable, strong nation. Ø The macro and micro level differentiation for better outcomes

Common Characteristics of a Public Policy Ø a) Policy is not random but purposive and goal oriented; Ø b) public policy is made by public authorities; Ø c) public policy consists of patterns of actions taken over time; Ø d) public policy is a product of demand, a government-directed course of action in response to pressure about some perceived problem; Ø e) public policy can be positive (a deliberately purposive action) or negative (a deliberately purposive decision not to take action).

Short History Ø Begin with the beginning of the governments Ø Earlier writings in the form of Republic (Plato), Arathshastra and Neetishastra (Chanakia) Ø Books not just written out of intellectual curiosity, but probably out of the need for discussing policies related to the government’s or those who govern. Ø Later texts also deal with same sort of questions but with a different context. For example, Smith’s magnum Opus (The Wealth of Nations) is all about how a nation and its citizens can become wealthy which takes care of many of the problems faced. Ø The change from old to new texts; basically its more to do with change from matters related to Kings, Princes and their policies to nation states governed through consensus rather than one man rule.