CHAPTER 6: Executing Public Policy with Strategic Management and Benchmarking

Public Determination
- Dictated by the working forces in democratic society.

Public Opinion
- Puts significant pressure on the part of the government policy direction.

Policy
- A course of action or a series of program adopted by a group or a person or a government in view to address
or respond to existing issues or concerns.

Public Policy
- An action taken by the government to address a host of issues e.g., housing, transportation, education, social
services, etc.
- Creates orderly structures and standards, and a sense of direction.
- A course of action which a government adopts to tackle specific public concern or issue.
- Thomas Dye: “whatever governments choose to do or not to do”.

Public Program
- Consists of all activities that are carefully formulated and executed for public purposes.

Three (3) Components of Public Policy:

1. Problem
o A particular apprehension that often requires specific resolution.
2. Players
o The actors or group of actors that design specific formula to tackle the issue at hand.
3. Policy
o The finished course of action ready for implementation.

Government
- Are ultimately responsible for the promotion and advancement of welfare.
- An instrumentality designed to service the people’s needs from womb to tomb.

Government Policies
- Aimed at achieving the betterment of the lives of the people in a state.
- The ability of the government to make things either better or worse for the people.

The Study of Public Policy

- Came late in the 1960s.
- Aims to examine how a policy was initiated, prepared, executed, and reviewed.

Public Administration CANNOT exist in a policy vacuum.

Public Policy Analysis

- The study of how governmental policies are made and implemented, and the application of available
knowledge to governmental policies for the purpose of improving their formulation and implementation.
- Attempts to understand the role of governments with their outputs & outcomes of the programs being pursued.

Three (3) Traditional Ethics of Public Administration

1. Effectiveness
2. Efficiency
3. Economy
Policymaking Process
- Relates to the mechanisms through which public government policy is made.

Two (2) Aspects of Policymaking:

1. It involves a linked series of actions or events.
2. It is a process in the sense that it distinguishes the “how” of the government from the “what” of the
government.

STAGES OF POLICYMAKING PROCESS:

1. Policy Initiation/Agenda Setting

o Recognizing and addressing emerging issues or problems. Elevating an issue's prominence through
media and public discourse.

2. Policy Formulation
o Crafting detailed policy proposals, often involving collaboration among stakeholders

3. Policy Implementation
o Translating policies into action, which can be challenging due to changing circumstances and
bureaucratic complexities.

4. Policy Evaluation
o Assessing the outcomes and impacts of policies to determine their effectiveness and relevance.

STAGE 1: POLICY INITIATION/AGENDA SETTING

Stages of Policy Agenda:

1. Initiation
o The primary stage that resulted from an issue regarded to come out as a problem if not attended to
appropriately.
o Refers to the making of decisions in a certain aspect.

2. Agenda Setting
o The process by which ideas or issues bubble up through the various political channels to wind up for
consideration by a political institution such as a court.
o Often extensively use mass media to expand the numbers of people who care about an issue so that
an institution is forced to take some action.

Three (3) Forces that influence Policy Initiation:

1. Media
o Influences policy initiation through press releases either in print or in broadcast.

2. Science
o Influences policy initiation towards the concern on environmental issues.

3. Technology
o Influences policy initiation through innovations such as the adoption of e-government system in the
world.

The Cycle of Policy Problem Evolution on the Political Agenda (SHAFRITZ, 2009)
1. The pre-problem stage
2. Alarmed discovery and euphoric enthusiasm
3. Recognition of the costs of change
4. Decline of public interest
5. The post-problem stage
STAGE 2: POLICY FORMULATION
- The conceptualization stage of policy process where the detailed development of a policy is framed into more
or less concrete proposals.

Rational and Incremental Models of Policymaking:

a. Rational Model
o Goals are set before means are considered.
o A good policy is the most appropriate for the desired ends.
o Analysis is comprehensive, all effects.
o Theory is heavily used.

b. Incremental Model
o Goals and means are considered together.
o A good policy is one in which all main actors can agree.
o Analysis is selected. The object is good policy, not the best policy.
o Comparison with similar is heavily used.

INCREMENTALISM
- Suggests that decisions are made not in the light of clear-cut objectives, but through small adjustments
dictated by changing circumstances.

RATIONALISM
- An approach that focuses on certain types of social explanation for phenomena.

STAGE 3: POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

- The process of putting the government policy into effect.
- Also called policy execution.

STAGE 4: POLICY EVALUATION

- Appraises or reviews outcomes of a policy as implemented as to its success or failure.

Traditional Ethos of Public Administration

1. Efficiency
2. Effectiveness

DISTRIBUTIVE, PREVENTIVE, AND REGULATORY POLICIES

1. Distributive Policies
o Focuses on distributing goods and services to society members.

2. Preventive Policies
o Aim to prevent potential issues or shocks from occurring.

3. Regulatory Policies
o Establish rules and standards to ensure consistent and accessible services to the public.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND BENCHMARKING APPROACHES

Strategic Management
- Culled from a military strategy of operation success through tactical planning and systematic execution.

Benchmarking
- A technique of governance designed to improve the quality and efficiency of public services. In essence,
benchmarking involves comparing specific aspects of a public problem with an ideal form of public action
(the benchmark) and then acting to make the two converge.
- Shafritz: systematically compares work processes with those of competitors or with best practices in the industry.

Modalities of Benchmarking:
1. Strategic Benchmark
o Focus on how public, private, and nonprofit organizations are compared with each other to
determine the best-in-class strategic outcome.
o Is seldom industry focused.

2. Performance Benchmark
o Focus on how public, private, and nonprofit organizations are compared with each other in terms of
product and service.

3. Progress Benchmark
o Centered on how public, private, and nonprofit organizations are compared with each other through
the identification of the most effective operating practices of any organizations that perform similar
work processes.

Best Practices is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more
effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, or process.

NATURE AND THRUST OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Six features that identify a strategic management approach:

1. The identification of objectives to be achieved in the future which are often announced in a vision statement;
2. The adoption of a time frame or planning horizon in which these objectives are to be achieved;
3. A systematic analysis of a current circumstances of an organization especially its capabilities;
4. An assessment of the environment surrounding the organization both now and within the planning horizon;
5. The selection of a strategy for the achievement of desired objectives by future date, often comparing various
alternatives; and
6. The integrity of organizational efforts among this strategy.

NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (NEDA)

- Coordinates national and regional development plans, issues, planning guidelines, evaluation of programs,
and assists in policy development.

NEDA Entities:
1. NEDA Board
o A cabinet-level body chaired by the Philippine President.
o Comprises of major government departments.

2. Secretariat
o Provides technical support to NEDA Committees; conduct studies; and offers policy recommendations.