RE-CONCEPTUALIZING PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS REVIEW OF CONCEPTS AND MODELS

Abstract

Policy relates to political decision making generally at the level of the government. Policy analysis starts from the vague goals identified by the politicians and involves defining the problem, the objectives, the alternative means or courses of action, the availability of resources and the evaluation of effectiveness. With the changes in the global economy policy making is no longer the prerogative of the government alone. Now the policies are being increasingly made with an interactive input from the government, the market and the civil society especially in the Third World. With the declining power and scope of the government and the absence of powerful local civil society, the market with its interests defined by the multinationals is playing an increasing role in policy formulation. The spread of poverty in the wake of IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programmes is being explained as the result of poor implementation, corrupt governments and weak institutions. Such an explanation is the basis of second tier of World Bank supported institutional reform in areas like local government, civil service and law. The purpose of these reforms is to make the institutional and legal frameworks of the countries market friendly and consistent with the demands of globalization.