Foundations Of Public Policy Research And Primary Data Collection Methods — Statswork
Public policies can be defined as the decision taken by the government in order to achieve certain goals and objectives formulated for the welfare of its people. Implementing and formulating the policies decided are based on a properly oriented pattern. In other words, the associated government agencies should be able to observe a well-defined relation between the policies implemented and formulated in order to decide the course of their activities (Peters, 2015). The following points further emphasize the meaning and characteristics of public policy.
1. Goal-oriented: The public policies defined by different organizations are formulated on the basis of a certain goal or are planned to keep in mind a particular goal which will be beneficial for the people of the country. These policies illustrate the different programs of the government and its concern towards different segments (Pierce, Peterson, & Hicks, 2017).
2. Public policies also reflect the decisions and thoughts of government. It indicates the government’s perspective towards existing policies and also leads to the framing of new laws and orders, ordinances, etc.
3. Another significant characteristic of public policy is that it depicts the interest and concern of government to a scrupulous issue of the masses.
Features of public policymaking
Besides discussing characteristics of public policymaking, here a brief discussion of different features of public policymaking is presented.
1. The process of public policymaking is a very intricate one. The process includes different components which are able to communicate with each other and employ different Primary data collection methods for communicating with each other.
2. The public policymaking process is a continuous process. It involves different activities that are continuously working in a structure. The process also exhibits dynamicity due to its dependence on time, different sub-processes and stages allied etc.
3. There are different components of policymaking. Each of these components has its own contribution, values, restrictions or special conditions and issues. Thus before planning any policy, it is necessary that these factors should be considered carefully.
4. Variation in the contribution of different policy structures. This feature of the policymaking indicates that the different components of policymaking impose their own contribution to the policy formulated.
5. The process of policymaking imposes different guidelines which are to be followed.
6. One of the most significant features of policymaking is its association with the future. This feature of policymaking presents numerous elements of uncertainty which is actually the basic tone of the majority of the policymaking processes.
7. Public policies are mostly enabled or formulated by governmental bodies. Under some conditions or for some special parts of the policies the perspective of private organizations is also considered.
8. Undeniably, public policies are specially designed for achieving the public interest.
Types of public policy:
There are several types of public policy. A snippet of each of them is given as follows: substantive, regulatory, distributive, redistributive, etc.
Substantive: These policies are mostly associated with the welfare and development of the general masses. For example, the policies formulated for education, employment, etc.
Regulatory: As the name describes these policies exhibit their association with formulating different policies for trade, business activities, etc.
Distributive: These policies are specially planned for some particular segments of society such as health services, public welfare, etc.
Redistributive: These policies are actually distributive policies which are redesigned or modified in accordance with social and economic changes.
Models of Policy Making
The policymakers have developed several models that can help to understand and illustrate the process of policymaking. Some of the key models developed are as follows:
Group theoretic model
A group includes some individuals who possess certain common characteristics and relationships. These groups are classified into different categories such as formal, informal, etc. This theory suggests that the public policy framed is the cumulative effort of group struggle. Individuals sharing some common characteristics join hands with each other in order to bring the policies framed by the government into action.
Elite theoretical model
This model suggests that a policy is caused by elites, depicting their values and fulfilling their needs. The model reflects that society is categorized into few who have power and some who do not have power. The policy is not made by the people or the masses, rather it is the ruling elite that decides the public policy. This policy is then put into action by bureaucracy.
Institutional model
This model explains that public policies are framed and then put into action by institutions. Here institution is referred to as a predefined pattern of human behavior that comprises structured interaction in a specific framework of some special values. These institutions are not only responsible for deciding how to frame the policies rather they also decide content to be included in the policy.
Rational model
This model rather than deciding the different aspects of policy aims at estimating its efficiency on the basis of benefits and losses caused by it socially, economically and politically (Lindboln et al., 1968).
Foundation approaches to public policy
The different foundations associated with the formulation of public policy are well-equipped with resources such as money, knowledge, and network which can be utilized to produce knowledge, establish strong connections with different sections of society, and even enable appropriate relations between different members of public policy communities. By making these contributions the foundations enable their assets for making a difference in public policymaking and thus enabling a better problem-solving attitude in the different areas of the policymaking process (Williams, 2006).
Different approaches or methods followed by foundations for the policy-making process are given as follows. The foundation's associated might:
1· Provide financial support for different public policies that can exhibit a better impact of the policy.
2· Offer information from numerous sources that can present the views towards existing and upcoming policy issues (Browne, Coffey, Cook, Meiklejohn, & Palermo, 2019).
3· Establish strong connectivity between individuals and organizations, thus putting different resources and skills fostering discussion on various policy issues.
Establish a reputation as a promising policymaker (Finnegan, 2019).
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