Rwanda MCC Threshold Program CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT Public Policy Analysis 1 st step in...

Rwanda MCC Threshold Program

CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Public Policy Analysis

1st step in planning an advocacy initiative as it provides the basis for advocacy strategies



Reminder: What is Public Policy• Public policy: A series of choices,

options and decisions to act or not to act made by government bodies and officials (Dunn, 1995) in order to deal with society concerns.

• Public policy involves what the government chooses to do or not to do, implying action as well as action



What are the features of public policy?o Rises out of political process and

compromise among different interest groups through negotiations and bargaining rather than deliberate rational/intellectual choice.

o Is authoritative, coercive and affects every one, the public and the private domains and the communities

o Goal-oriented and supported by other administrative functions (financing, human resources, control, etc.)



1. Sector policies: for the regulate service delivery, with direct impact of populations (health, education, water , housing, justice, agriculture, public order, etc.)

2. Macro-economic policies: for the regulation of economic activities (government expenditures and revenues, policies to promote economic growth or halt inflation, etc.)

3. Institutional policies: for the creation and organization of institutions (state agencies, civil society, private companies, etc.)

4. Regulatory policies: legislation that imposes norms and criteria in a number of areas (air pollution, use of plastic bags, food security, etc.)

5. National development policies: to orient national strategy of development (Vision 2020, EDPRS, etc.)

6. Regional/global policies: signed at regional/global levels, but influence national policies (human rights treaties; trade agreements; The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women CEDAW, adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly; MDG;

Types of public policy



Public Policy instruments and Sources

Laws, regulations (codes), memoranda, press releases

Sources: national gazette, official newspapers,

cabinet reports Legal Information Portal- to be

developed by the MCC Justice Strengthening Project



Key elements of a policy analysis

1. Identifying a policy issue or issues

2. Identifying key actors and institutions that make decisions about a policy, and those who an influence policy makers

3. Analyzing the distribution of political power among key actors

4. Understanding formal and informal policy making processes

5. Understanding the social and political environment



Assessing the content of a policy

Objective:

Understanding the government’s logic during

formulation and implementation of a policy and compare it with the target population’s expectations



What do we mean by a policy Issue?

Policy issues include:

• Absence of a policy

• An adverse or inadequate policy

• Improper enforcement of a policy An answer requires a policy solution



Policy implementation: reasons for non-implementation1. Deliberate intention for non-implementation - some policies are

symbolic in nature (examples: a policy made to avert crisis with workers who request pay-rise, but the policy-makers know that it is impractical – in many countries decentralization policy as a devolution of local government, but in reality the central government continue to control extensive political authority and resources);

2. Conflicting policies (free trade versus protectionism of local industry; free movement of labor against immigrants)

3. Foreign /external conditions to implementing agencies (example: public expenditure cuts dictated by donors left a number of social policies non implemented);



Key criteria for selecting policy issues

• Relative contribution of the policy to the problem

• Potential impact on a large number of people

• Likelihood of success

• Potential for working in coalitions

• Potential risks are acceptable



How does your organization decide upon what issue to work on?

• Issues can be identified based on:Field experience and observation In depth-research about laws, regulations and

government plans• A policy analysis should point out• the problem (what?), • specific policy issues of the problem (why?), and• the people affected by the problem (who and

where?)



Issue Analysis Framework

Issues Consequences (who benefits,

who loses)

Causes Solutions (Change in

policy, practice,)



Identifying an Issue: other questions to ask

• Why is this issue important to NGOs at this time?

• What are some examples of policy solutions for this issue?

• What exactly does the issue encompass?



Identifying key actors and institutions

• Once a policy issue is identified, it is important to identify the actors that make critical decisions about policies

• Identifying policy makers and analyzing their interest



Analyzing the policy environment• Analyzing the policy environment will help assess whether a

policy change is likely to be successful or not. The following questions are asked:

Can people participate in policy decisions about an issue? Do channels exist for people to participate in decisions?

Where are key decisions on an policy issue made and who controls decisions?

Are the policy issues widely discussed? Is the topic of interest for the general public has news regarding the policy issues recently been features in the media?

Is the issue a priority for the government? Does the government plan to make any change to existing regulations? What issue policies were approved or rejected in recent years?



Setting a Goal and Objectives

Identifying a Target Audience



Issues, Goals, and Objectives Building the Foundation

The first two steps in any advocacy campaign are selecting the advocacy issue and developing the goal and objective(s).

These pieces of the advocacy process make up some of the most challenging, analytic work facing a CSO and should be deliberated extensively.



Developing an Advocacy Goal and Objectives

• An advocacy goal is a statement of the long-term (3-5 years) result of your advocacy effort you want to achieve; it is your vision for change.

• An advocacy objective is the shorter-term (1-2 years) target that contributes to the achievement of your goal.

A goal and objectives are always developed in reference to the identified policy issue

A short-term (1-2 years) target that contributes toward the

“AG



• Policy actor or decision maker is the individual with the power to convert the advocacy objective into action (i.e., Minister of Health, Parliamentary Finance Committee, etc.).

• Policy action or decision is the action required to achieve the objective (i.e., adopt a certain policy, allocate funds to support a specific program or initiative, etc.).

• Timeline describes when the objective will be achieved.



Advocacy Goal• The advocacy goal can be general. For

example,

• “ reduce childhood malnutrition to improve children

• “make safe and effective family planning available to all who wish to prevent pregnancies.”

• The goal can be your vision.



Advocacy Goal

• How does your organization formulate its organizational or program goals?

• What are the current goals that your organization has?



Developing an Advocacy Goal:

• Is the goal achievable through a series of policy decisions or changes?

• Is the goal a realistic vision?



Developing Advocacy Objectives

Criteria for Setting Objectives

• S – specific

• M – measurable

• A – achievable

• R – realistic

• T – time-bound



An Advocacy Objective should have in mind a:

Policy “actor”

or decision maker

Policy“action” or

decision

Timeline and

degree ofchange



Checklist for Selecting an Advocacy ObjectiveCriteria Objective 1 Objective 2

1. Do qualitative or quantitative dataexist to show that the objective willimprove the situation?

2. Is the objective achievable?Even with opposition?

3. Will the objective gain the support ofmany people? Do people care about theobjective deeply enough to take action?



Identifying your audience



Identifying Your Audience

• To increase the chances of success, NGOs must identify and study all of the individuals and groups that may support the NGO’s issue and goal as well as those that may oppose the issue and goal.



Identifying your audience cont…

• How does or can outreach and audience identification for public policy advocacy overlap?

• What are some of the ways Rwandan CSOs identify their audience?

• How does your organization identify your audience?



Identifying Your AudienceGuidelines

• Think Back

• Be Thorough

• Be Precise

• Think Ahead



Tacticsfor audience identification



Target Audiences: IdentifyingSupport and Opposition

• To increase the chances of success, NGOs must identify and study all of the individuals and groups that may support the NGO’s issue and goal as well as those that may oppose the issue and goal.



Target Audiences

• An advocacy campaign’s target audiences are determined for each advocacy objective and should include:

-the primary target audience—persons and/or institutional bodies that themselves have decision making authority

-the secondary target audience—persons and institutional bodies that can influence the decision makers.



Target Audiences

• Documenting information on these audiences helps the network target its advocacy activities, develop effective messages, and select appropriate channels of communication.

• The categories of people in the target audience are not identical in every setting.



Target Audiences

• Once these persons/bodies are identified, the NGO should assess the level of support or opposition to be expected from those in the primary and secondary target audiences.



• People on both sides of the issue feel strongly that their position is the right one; therefore, they are willing to devote considerable resources to supporting that position. Identifying potential opposition is as important as identifying potential allies.

Target Audiences



What you need to know about your opponents:

• Why do they oppose you? How actively will they oppose you?

• How much power do they have (money, influence, numbers)?

• What are their organizational structures and policies?



opposition…

• What are their interests, agenda, strategies and tactics? What will they do to challenge you?

• Who is influenced by them?

• Is there an area where you might agree? If so, would it be possible to seek some common ground on some issues and agree to disagree on others?



The important things to know about these allies are:

• How well do they support your advocacy efforts?

• What do they really think about the issue and what should be done?

• What are they willing to do to express support?



• What are their misgivings about your efforts?

• How involved and informed do they need to be to remain your ally?

• What do they stand to gain from the advocacy efforts?



Mapping Key Actors

Ally Opponent

active

quadrant a. quadrant b.

passive

quadrant c. quadrant d.

Mapping the field of actors is an important first step in planning any advocacy effort.

Doing so will give you a clear picture on how to prioritize resources based upon importance of each actor



What insights have you gained in understanding:

• Ability to analyze complex environments and interrelated problems, an issue--discern a policy solution for a selected problem, envision a long-term goal, and articulate short-term objective(s).



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