Challenges Affecting Policy Development and Implementation - Essay Sample

Introduction

Social problems exist at different levels of government, which are the state, local and federal level. The problems are in different sectors, be it commerce, education, agriculture, communication, housing, health, and transportation sectors. However, to get rid of these problems, the government always comes up with policies which follow various steps from its formulation to the implementation (Clemons & McBeth, 2015). The policies are developed concerning growth objectives and the welfare of citizens. More so, public policy is an action taken by the government to attain the desired goals and objectives. The policies determine the present and future decisions of both the public and private sectors in the light of some social issues. The world in which public policies are to be developed has gradually changed, and it is uncertain as it is unpredictable. The demands and expectations of Citizens have risen. Thus, some challenges are experienced in the policy-making process. The paper explores significant challenges that are associated with developing and implementing policies at different levels of government which are local, state and federal level. It looks at challenges that are associated with problem identification, stakeholder involvement, ethical stances and the challenges that are associated with communicating policy impacts.

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Challenges Associated with Developing and Implementing Policies

Several factors adversely affect public policymaking, and the factors are not new, but reformulations of insights concerning relations and bureaucratic behaviour of public administration. Public policymaking starts with problem identification. Mostly, there is a challenge in identifying the problem and correct definition of the same. The policymakers in most countries do not ensure due diligence before deciding on a course action to take. Some policies address some problems, and the same policies do not address other problems. Hence, the primary challenge in this stage is the incorrect identification of the problem. A policy cannot be effective when applied to solve a social problem that is not bound to solve. Policymakers do not correctly define the root cause of the problem; hence they do not apply the right tools. They also spend little time studying the problem objectively and empirically, and at last, they end up not fully understanding the problem (Gerston, 2014). There is little research leading to poor handling of the problem. Sometimes the policy goals lack clarity and at the same time not consistent with the will of Citizens. Policymakers assume that they understand the demands of the Citizens leading to unclear policies that are not efficiently implemented.

Furthermore, there is a lack of stakeholder involvement and consultation around policy choices. The public is not involved sufficiently in policy decisions. It is a challenge to the implementation of public policy implementation as this type of policymaking does not take into consideration the poor and sometimes causes dissent and protests by the members of the public. Implementing a policy that lacks democratic collaboration becomes a problem, and may result in uneven development (Head & Alford, 2015). Also, there is an unbalance between the need for subjectivity and objectivity analysis. Mostly, the policies made are not driven by analysis of all the available alternatives and the ideology. The policies are subject to political interests and are driven to solve the problems that hit the headlines first. Also, unethical stances negatively affect public policymaking. The absence of moral responsibility and personal accountability of public officials' leads to improper public policy, as their decisions reflect a lack of respect they possess for principles, norms and professional values.

Additionally, other challenges are associated with communicating policy impacts. The expected outcomes of the policies made are usually accompanied by uncertainties from changes in future political events and social events. The problem is that the changes are not predicted confidently; hence it is a communication challenge affecting public policy. Also, policies mostly create winners and losers as some regional or demographic groups become well off than others (Zuiderwijk & Janssen, 2014). Summarizing the impacts of policies on various groups to weigh the outcomes is difficult. Another challenge the trade-offs that exist in policies. There is a complicated communication problem in offering multiple effects with various metrics that allow for easy comparison. One outcome has to be traded for another in any public policy. Some policy choices affect different generations and have diverse effects as time goes, hence a challenge to the communication of policy.

Also, the lack of continuous commitment to policies by public administration, due to change in government administration, the priorities for development also changes. As a result implementation of policies created by the previous government becomes difficult as the objectives and priorities have switched. The switch requires new resources, a new organization, and personnel which are hard to provide. Hence, it leads to a relinquishment of policies. Also, the activities of politicians constrain policy analysis as the elected leaders may oppose a proposed policy. Any reactions by politicians are in many cases considered as proposals and debated, hence leading to discarding of essential ideas that were contained in the policy during its first development because experts cannot comprehend of any credible circumstances that can be accepted by elected leaders. During the scrutiny of policies, it suffers these political constraints.

Public policies are also affected by budget constraint. Policy-makers expectations may outstrip the abilities of government. Before a policy proposal is accepted and approved, policy-makers need to be persuaded that the government has the resources to do them. Many times the budgetary costs of policies are not accepted, and lack of sufficient fund makes a policy analysis fail (Clemons & McBeth, 2015).

Several approaches need to be adopted to overcome public policy challenges. Firstly, proper problem identification needs to be carried out by defining the root cause of the problem at hand. Policymakers should identify precisely the problem that needs to be solved to use appropriate policy tools. According to Gerston (2014), public officials have to take their time to conduct credible research by carefully studying the problem and understand it correctly.

Secondly, to solve the problem of stakeholder involvement and consultation, there should be a vibrant connection between people and the policymaker which in the state. The state should be responsible for creating a relationship and make a follow-up. Even if the process will take time by doing so, it is the best and ensures full support of the policy by the Citizens. There should be enough necessary skills, qualifications, and experience by the stakeholders and the public officials to bring the policy to fruition (Head & Alford, 2015).

There is a need for systems that are well-versed by evidence at each level of the policymaking, starting from problem identification to implementation. It is functional in dealing with social problems that are complex where there is a rapid shift of proof which replies are based. Governments should make evidence-based policy making their agenda for public service, as the policies will be evaluated based on all possible alternatives giving the best solution to the identified problem.

Policymakers should understand specific situations and different options which are detailed and comprehensive. Through this, they are in a position to make informed decisions concerning the policy being developed and implemented. According to Hill and Hupe (2014), public policy officials should look at the helpful link that exists between activity and impacts as well as the anticipated cost and any possible intervention impact. Also, the credibility and quantity of the available and obtained evidence are essential.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the challenges affecting policy development and implementation are majorly caused by the authority responsible for public policy-making. There is improper problem identification due to the lack of enough research. Lack of involvement and consultation of the general public in the development of the policies causes rejection of the policies during its implementation due to lack or low levels of ownership by Citizens in the process of policy development. The paper also concludes that the above challenges and others such as low financing of the policies affect the implementation of public policies. Governments should apply the suggested solutions to the challenges of realizing effective and efficient policy development and implementation process.

Reference

Clemons, R. S., & McBeth, M. K. (2015). Public policy praxis: A case approach for understanding policy and analysis. Routledge.

Gerston, L. N. (2014). Public policymaking in a democratic society: A guide to civic engagement. Routledge.

Head, B. W., & Alford, J. (2015). Wicked problems: Implications for public policy and management. Administration & Society, 47(6), 711-739.

Hill, M., & Hupe, P. (2014). Implementing public policy: An introduction to the study of operational governance. Sage.

Zuiderwijk, A., & Janssen, M. (2014). Open data policies, their implementation, and impact: A framework for comparison. Government Information Quarterly, 31(1), 17-29.