Basics of Public Policy

M . E . C I V I L ( I I ) T O W N A N D C O U N T R Y P L A N N I N G

S E M E S T E R – I I I

Prof. Bhasker V. Bhatt

Civil Engineering Department

SCET, Surat

Politics & Public Policy Planning (2734804)

Major Elective IV

Basics of Public Policy by Bhasker V. Bhatt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

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Find Legal Definition:

“Public Policy” in INDIA(Provide proper Citation)

Image source: http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/P/PublicPolicy.aspx

Going online ??

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http://pan.oxfordjournals.org/ (Political Analysis)

http://jssam.oxfordjournals.org/ (Survey statistics and methodology)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1520-6688

http://www.policysciences.org/ (The best one)

http://link.springer.com/journal/11077

Defined

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The governing policy within a community as embodied in its legislative and judicial enactments which serve as a basis for determining what acts are to be regarded as contrary to the public good

"Public Policy." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public policy>.

A public policy is simply what government (any public official who influences or determines public policy, including school officials, city council members, county supervisors, etc.) does or does not do about a problem that comes before them for consideration and possible action.

Project Citizen; http://www.civiced.org/pc-program/instructional-component/public-policy

Public Policy

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A fascinating field of enquiry…

Public policy is a vast subject

Requires much more analysis for reinventing theories and introducing new concepts in public management

Wisdom follows knowledge which brings great humility

Origin of public policy can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization itself.

Objective Empirical and Normative Truths

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Harold Lasswell stands out as the preeminent moving spirit behind the movement in policy sciences. Famous work “Policy orientation” 1951

Since then, the articulation and subsequent practice of policy sciences have been entirely dependent on

Complex interaction of social scientists and

Socio-political events

Theoretical scope and applicability expanded in 1970 throughout 1980

By 1990, partial reformation in policy sciences approach observed

Policy Sciences

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The disciplines concerned with explaining the policy making and policy executing processand with locating data and providing interpretations which are relevant to the policy problems of a given period

Laswell’s vision on policy sciences was: Multidisciplinary cuts across existing specializations

Contextual and problem-oriented intelligence needs (problems are generally unsolved because of their complex and changing nature)

Explicitly normative

Two approach division

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Policy analysis

Applied activity – contribution to solution of social problems

Concerned with knowledge in and for the policy process

Policy process

Concerned with knowledge about the formation and implementation of public policy

Government Expenditures

Government’s intervention expanded into every area of

Economy

Society

Culture

The capacity of the government

To directly produce and supply services

To manage financial transfers and subsidies and

To enforce laws

has become increasingly inadequate

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Government Expenditures

Public resources are, by definition scarce and costly(in terms of opportunity cost and distortions)

It is essential to use the government’s financial and administrative resources, where they can make the biggest difference to social welfare…

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Government Expenditures

According to the original theory of planning the

emphasis of government expenditure should be on

areas where the gap between social and private

returns are highest and where market externalities

need to be corrected.

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Government Expenditures

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Future programs, projects and other expendituresshould be separated into economically meaningful categories and sub-categories that bear some relationship to these economically sound principles…

Integrated programs can then be built under these thematic categories in sectors where they are applicable…

Public Vs. Private Goods & Services

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Private goods and services are those that are provided to individuals or specific households…

Public goods & services are provided to groups (e.g. connecting and village/urban roads) and individual usage is difficult or costly to measure …

Quasi-public goods

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Quasi-public goods fall in between

In that part, the benefits can be tracked to individuals,

but part is more diffuse and may even accrue to future

generations or to a wholly different group in another

form.

Public Goods - General

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Knowledge generation and dissemination. Diffusion of agriculture & allied technology: HYV seeds, re-planting, fish

stock, crop varieties, cultivation protocols/practices, Handicrafts & handlooms.

Regulatory Systems, Standards and Certification: Establishment, maintenance, enforcement. Health and Safety Standards for products & services, Environmental

standards for producers: Dissemination, diffusion and enforcement. Development of Standards & Curricula, Testing & certification systems

for education & skill development

National statistical system: Macro data collection and statistics. Sector and industry specific data.

Pollution & Environment (Negative externality/Public Bads): Water, Air pollution

Public Goods – Sector Specific

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National security: including Borders, NE, J&K

Law and order: Police, courts, judges

Roads: Highways, Inter-connecting roads(habitations), urban roads

Aquifer planning & management

Urban and Rural civic planning; Land use planning (agriculture, non-ag; residential, commercial, industrial). Supply of “urban land”;

Communicable, vector borne and epidemic diseases control

Forests, green belts; wild life preservation, bio-diversity

Quasi-public Goods – Cross-sectoral

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Education/Training of high quality educators/teachers/trainers and administrators/planners/managers.

Preventive health: Public health education and incentives

Drinking Water Supply system

Sewerage, Drainage, Sanitation and Wastedisposal systems

Quasi-public Goods – Rural

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Dams and Canals, Drainage systems.

Rural electricity Distribution or decentralised production

Community watershed, water harvesting.

Marketing channel for agricultural & rural products e.g.

B to B website.

Quasi-public Goods – Urban

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Urban Transport planning and public transport systems

Planning Elements

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Perennial criticism of Indian Planning has been that Five Year Plans exist only on paper and bear little

relation to what happens on the ground…

This is the failure to develop and approve detailed operational plans before the financial allocations are made/ released/ spent…

Planning for Government - Steps

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1. Definition of Objectives2. Identification of specific goals

1. Classification of beneficiaries

3. Operational plans1. Outcomes and management

1. Capital Account1. Projects2. Programs

2. Service Delivery: Subsidy accounting

2. Time horizon and management transfer1. Maintenance of assets2. Plan to Non-plan3. Centre to State4. Incentive compatibility

Planning for Government - Steps

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4. Management Information System (MIS)

1. Web enabled systems

5. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

1. Web enabled systems

6. Public access to information

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