Public Policy Nuggets of Wisdom
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Looking to learn real world approaches to policy making and development but don’t have access to formal training? Well, lucky for you, the Australian National University and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government have joined forces to present ‘Policy Theory Bites’, a four part series that brings to life real world examples of how you can implement policy theory in practice.
The Policy Window
The policy window is exactly that – the time in which it is ‘right’ to make policy.
Based on John Kingdon’s multiple streams framework, the best time to make a policy is when three separate factors converge:
- Policy problems. It is important to define the problem before any action is taken in order to understand what the new policy will aim to correct, solve or improve.
- Policy solutions. A good policy will not just fix a problem, but will be well considered, acceptable, feasible and within budget.
- Political considerations. Perhaps the most elusive of the streams, the policy window is only open for as long as political will is forthcoming. Political will is not just dependent upon the determination of elected officials, but also includes the ‘national mood’ and perspectives of interest groups.
It can be difficult to time the opening of a policy window. To alleviate this strain, policy makers should create policy preemptively by predicting problems and crises ahead of time. That way, policy makers are equipped to act as soon as the political climate is right.
Learn more about how you might employ the policy window here.
The Policy Cycle
A new policy will (more often than not) come into being as a result of process. In Australia, the system most commonly used to direct a policy’s lifecycle, from the time it is born until it is in effect, is the Australian Policy Cycle (APC).
The APC follows eight logical steps:
- Identify issues
- Policy analysis
- Policy instruments
- Consultation
- Coordination
- Decision
- Implementation
- Evaluation
This is a cyclical process, meaning that steps do not have to be completed in a set order and might overlap or conflate with one another. Stages might even be omitted altogether if they do not serve the overarching goal. However, if the process is modified, it is important that policy makers understand the reason behind deviation.
Learn more about how you might use the policy cycle here.
Muddling Through
Coined by Charles E Lindblom in 1959 – and what is referred to as ‘disjointed incrementalism’ by academics – muddling through might be seen as the policy cycle’s adversary. This approach involves making change step by step, rather than implementing big picture policy in one fell swoop. By muddling through, policy makers are able to improve policy slowly, focussing on a series of slow, incremental movements which do not depart dramatically from existing programs or practices.
Read more about how you might implement the muddling through approach here.
The Public Value Approach
The final policy theory bite is the public value approach – a strategic method of determining what will (or won’t) work within particular socioeconomic and political contexts. The public value approach utilises M H Moore’s strategic triangle by framing potential policies through the lenses of public value, operational feasibility and political legitimacy. Through this model, policy makers are able to work out whether their ideas would be supported by politicians and stakeholders, are feasible and are capable of solving problems.
Learn more about how you might apply the public value approach here.
