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in this video we will aim to clarify the basics of the public policy process this video will cover the following first we'll Define what is meant by public policy we will then provide some examples of what would constitute a public policy then we will clarify why it's important for governments to have public policies lastly we will list the basic steps usually followed When developing a public policy as an introduction you need to be aware that governments across the world usually
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have roles and responsibilities that they need to fulfill some of the roles and responsibilities of government is to provide public services such as health services education transport
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Etc maintaining Law and Order protecting and defending its residents and citizens protecting the environment collecting taxes regulating the economy these are just some of the roles and responsibilities of governments in some countries these roles and responsibilities are normally provided for under that country's constitution in other countries the political leaders in government at the time May pledge to provide these functions in order to provide
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these functions governments will usually need to put in place a public policy to guide them in how to fulfill these functions so what is a public policy a public policy can be defined as a system of laws regulatory measures courses of action and funding priorities regarding a specific area of government's function this is essentially government's position on a certain issue and what the government would choose to do or not to do about such an issue for example a government
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may have a public policy on education policy such as the education curriculum that will be followed criminal justice policy such as whether or not to allow and permit the death penalty social policy such as allowing and regulating pregnancy terminations and the right to choose a government may also have an economic policy in which it regulates how it plans to collect taxes and how much it will collect an environment policy in which the government details its
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response to global warming a policy on Foreign Affairs and National Security whether government outlines its position on global matters and how it plans to deploy its Defense Force and military services a government may also introduce a policy addressing social and Welfare issues where it details its plan on how it aims to improve the lives and Welfare of its residents in order to introduce these public policies a government will need to follow a series of steps
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these steps May differ from one government to another the basic steps will usually be as follows one identifying the issue or problem that the government aims to address 2. setting the agenda 3. Drafting and approving the public policy 4. implementing the approved public policy 5. evaluating the policy the process starts with identifying and defining what the issue to be addressed is this identification can be done in anticipation of a specific issue for
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example whether government anticipates increased immigration into the country the identification of the issue can also be done in response to a specific need or issue for example where an increase in crime is being noticed the issues or challenges can be identified by government or other stakeholders such as non-government organizations or residents and citizens the next step in developing a public policy is ensuring that the issue or challenge is put on the agenda
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this is where the identified problem is formally placed on government's agenda to be addressed by the president cabinet members members of parliament municipality or other relevant government institution the setting of the agenda can be done by those directly affected by the issue such as ordinary residents public Representatives non-governmental organizations
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and by those who are tasked with addressing the issue such as the political party in government at the time opposition political parties and public administrators the next step in the public policy process is actually formulating the policy this is when the government starts the process of coming up with an approach of how they intend to solve the identified issue this process involves an
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in-depth analysis of the issue together with the alternative solutions to address the issues this analysis ensures that the most effective approach and solutions are adopted and that such Solutions are feasible governments approach and solution is then documented into a policy document this can either be a legislation a regulation a departmental policy or internal rules public comments are then solicited and then incorporated into a final policy document this final policy
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document is then adopted and approved by the relevant government officials or the appropriate level of government structure the next step in the public policy process is the policy implementation this is when the government carries out all the activities necessary to ensure that the proposed Solutions are realized implementing a public policy can sometimes cause confusion it is therefore important that governments ensure that the approved policy contains clear directives on
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how such policy is to be implemented the approved policy also needs to identify the government institution and the officials responsible for this implementation process the policy must also be communicated to the public and the relevant institution and public officials tasked with the responsibility for implementing it and such communication must be clear and unambiguous the communication must further involve an awareness campaign and public education regarding the policy
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the implementation process should further identify any changes to the existing processes and Status Quo particularly regarding any disruption and or conflict the implementation process should also detail how the policy implementation will be monitored and what would constitute a successful implementation the final step in the public policy process process is the evaluation stage this is where an analysis and a review is performed to check whether the policy as
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implemented is addressing the identified issues or the challenges and whether the implementation process is proceeding well it is during the evaluation stage that government or any other interested stakeholder assesses whether the implemented policy has succeeded or failed in addressing the issues first identified the assessment will usually be based on a set of established standards the evaluation stage will also assess the quality
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of the impact of the policy and whether the objectives of the policy have been achieved it is during this stage that government needs to gather relevant information about whether or not to continue with a policy or with certain activities in the policy or change the direction the first step in the public policy making process is properly identifying a problem and designing the right response to address such problem in this next plane the public policy process
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with regards to identifying societal issues and putting such issues on the agenda let's start with explaining the first step in the public policy process which is identifying the problem problem identification consists of clearly identifying the root cause of a problem and then developing a detailed problem statement which is basically a short paragraph that summarizes the issues to be considered ideally the problem should be phrased in the form of a question
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this helps to guide the selection of information to include in the problem statement
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problem identification is an important step because it guides the activities and decisions of the stakeholders involved in the policy making process ultimately problem identification assists in ensuring that the right public issues are identified and are clearly defined problem identification also helps in clearly identifying the goals of the policy and outlining its scope there are multiple factors that influence the identification of policy challenges and
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their incorporation into the public agenda and these factors include government's capacity to anticipate challenges that the public face the effectiveness of government's public participation processes to engage with relevant stakeholders on public issues and on how to address them effectively the availability of data and evidence to enable the government to confirm that such issue is real and that it is in the government's mandate and objective to address it
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the media's role in translating and communicating The Challenge in a way that resonates with citizens in this next section we will focus on the next step in the public policy process which is setting the agenda let us first Define what policy agenda is a public policy agenda is essentially defined as what governmental officials or elected political officials find important to discuss this process involves actually getting the public issue on government's agenda to be addressed by
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either elected officials or government officials there are three types of agenda settings which are 1. public agenda setting 2. politics agenda setting and three media agenda setting let's discuss each of these in more detail firstly public agenda setting this is when the majority of the public influences what topics are deemed important public agenda setting usually involves a dramatic event a controversy or something happens that affects a wide range of people
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such matters will be placed on government's agenda because politicians government officials and the media will usually react to the matters which are of public interest the second type of agenda setting is politics agenda setting this happens when elected officials and politicians use their influence and authority to push their political agendas to citizens this usually involves a politician advertising for support from citizens to back an issue they
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feel strongly about this type of agenda setting is usually seen during election campaigns when there is a high level of media coverage on politicians the third type of agenda setting is Media agenda setting this is when the media determines the agenda with regards to which stories are considered important journalists editors Newsroom staff and media institutions shape the political Reality by choosing which stories to broadcast and use the media to push focus on specific issues
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to the public the media is powerful and usually directs how the public should think about an issue based on the Public's reaction the matter would then be placed on government's agenda broadly speaking placing matters on government's agenda involves a number of stakeholders including community members Community leaders advocacy groups Civil Society organizations the media politicians and government officials as well as International Players before we continue to the
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next section on why agenda setting is important don't forget to subscribe like comment and share this video now let's discuss why a gender setting governments develop and Implement public policies to address certain issues in the society with the aim of achieving certain goals and objectives therefore setting an issue on government's agenda is important to ensure that the matter is being attended to by the relevant stakeholders agenda setting is also important
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in allocating the necessary resources and funding in order to address public issues lastly problem identification and agenda setting are important steps because they form the foundation of the public policy process in this next we will provide guidelines on how to draft an effective public policy by first providing an overview and a background on public policy and the various steps in the public policy process we will then list our five
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tips for drafting a government policy and what factors to consider when drafting an effective public policy we will then conclude by discussing the importance of a well-drafted public policy
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as indicated in this next circus on developing and drafting of a public policy let's start by providing our five tips for drafting an effective public policy firstly policy makers need to determine whether there is a need for a public policy policymakers therefore need to consider if there is a need for a new public policy or amend an existing one or consider leaving the current situation as it is a need for formulating a new policy or replacing or
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amending an existing one can arise out of any one or more of the following reasons which are changes in society changes in technology political regime change demands from donors and funders international commitments and pressure from courts Lobby groups or advocacy groups one of the factors that may influence the need for a new policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is changes in society every society experiences changes from time to time
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this therefore requires the formulation of guidelines for dealing with the changing circumstances such as changes in Social demographics changes in the economy of the country Etc the next factor that may influence the need for a new policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is changes in technology history is full of examples of new technologies having a fundamental impact on how government operates advances in technology not only enhances and
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streamlines administrative tasks and Service delivery they can also change the role of government or entirely reorganize its core functions the next factor that may influence the need for a new policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is political regime change the rise of a new political group inevitably brings a new agenda a new vision and a new mission that requires new strategies this new vision and new mission is normally based on public opinion
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and beliefs and based on current socioeconomic issues another factor that may influence the need for a new policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is demands from donors and funders funders and donors are becoming more and more demanding and as a result support from these agencies is always related to the implementation of some kind of socioeconomic reform in the country or government institution receiving such donations or funds in order to receive
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funding a government might be required to adopt new policies or modify existing public policies another factor that may influence the need for a new policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is international commitments globalization has also made it possible for countries to connect and work with each other these has resulted in countries signing International agreements which usually requires each government to adopt a new public policy or amend existing ones
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another factor that may influence the need for a new public policy or an amendment of an existing public policy is pressure from courts Lobby groups or advocacy groups this is because as people become more empowered and certain Lobby groups become more active and influential these stakeholders can force governments to adopt new policies or amend existing policies to their advantage these groups may also ask the courts to rule on issues that result in the creation of a
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new public policy or a review of existing policies our second tip for drafting an effective public policy is policy makers need to consider using an adopted template which is approved and well recognized a consistent template should be used when formulating and drafting public policies this simplifies policy creation and results in policies that are easier to categorize and understood the adopted public policy should contain at least the following information firstly the
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purpose of the policy this explains the goals and objectives of the policy the purpose must be clear comprehensive and persuasive in order to justify the policy then the scope of the policy this is where the policy identifies specific areas which will be covered including stakeholders that will be affected by the policy it may give preferential treatment to certain groups of people and may exclude certain people or actions a public policy must also include important terms
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and Concepts used in the policy document these terms must be clearly and unambiguously defined to eliminate the possibility of their multiple interpretation the public policy must also State the effective date of the policy usually policies come into operation at a future date but in exceptional circumstances a policy can be applied retrospectively for valid reasons a public policy must obviously include specific guidelines this is where the policy indicates
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the specific regulations requirements or changes the policy is intended to enact collectively these statements give General guidance to those making it regarding the actions to be taken based on these statements a strategy or set of strategies will be prepared by those responsible for its implementation every public policy must have an institution responsible for its formulation and implementation however where such institution does not exist yet the policy will clearly
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outline the government agency to be created and the stakeholders tasked with such responsibility a public policy must make reference to other related policies or documents where possible this will ensure or that related policies are read in conjunction with each other every policy must also repeal any similar policy or certain Clauses affected by the new policy which were issued in the past these are just some of the information at minimum which should be included in a public
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policy our third proposal in drafting an effective public policy is that policy makers responsible for formulating a new policy or responsible for amending existing ones need to ensure that the public policy is written in a plain language and where possible such policy is available in other official languages of the country this will ensure that such policy is easily understood by an informed reader it does happen that sometimes a public policy is written in legalese
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this ensures that the exact intention of the policy is reflected for instance using the words such as should can and may implies that there is a choice whereas the word must does not therefore the choice of specific words will assist the reader to know if the government institution intends to be commissive or prescriptive knowing the intent will further assist in selecting the terminology for the policy our fourth suggestion for drafting an effective public policy is that
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the policy must be clear about the criteria to be used to judge the success of such policy this will ensure that policy advisors and government institutions manage the progress and properly evaluate the outcomes of the policy are fifth and last suggestion for drafting an effective public policy is that government policies just like policies of any other institution must be reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain current and relevant there is usually no
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timeline on when to review a policy however it is recommended that governments should determine a reasonable period for reviewing its policies the policy must also identify public officials or stakeholders responsible for such review policies must further State review dates in advance to ensure that reviews are not forgotten before we continue to the next section on the importance of drafting a public policy don't forget to subscribe like comment and share this video
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now let's discuss the importance of a well-drafted or well-prosted public policy ensures that the government's objectives and goals are clearly outlined good public policies also ensure that governments address certain issues in the society and challenges therefore politicians government officials policy advisors and advocacy groups must develop and formulate public policies that are clear and more importantly that address the challenges facing the public
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in this next section we will discuss public policy implementation by first providing an overview and a background on public policy and the various steps in the public policy process we will then Define what we mean by policy implementation we will then list the key role players in the process of policy implementation and then discuss the four approaches to policy implementation we will then list some of the factors affecting policy implementation as well as discuss why some
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public policies fail we will then conclude by providing our guidelines to a successful policy implementation as indicated in this next we will focus on policy implementation so what is policy implementation policy implementation can be defined as the fourth stage in the policy process which occurs immediately after the public policy has been developed and drafted generally speaking policy implementation is a series of activities undertaken by the government and others to achieve
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the goals and objectives articulated in the policy statements of the government essentially policy implementation is when various stakeholders in the policy process work together to bring the adopted public policy into effect in an effort to achieve the goals and objectives of the public policy in this next section we discuss the various key role players in the process of policy implementation
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there is a wide range of people and organizations that can be involved in policy implementation this will depend on the level of the authority required for such policy and the type of policy to be implemented the various key role players in the process of public policy implementation may include the regulator government officials and most importantly the general public each of these role players play a different but important role in the process of policy implementation
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The Regulators represented by the legislature are responsible for determining the regulations in accordance with the legislation government officials are the primary implementers of public policy they are therefore responsible for implementing the various aspects of the public policy the public also plays a critical role in the process of policy implementation they often do this by lobbying their representatives in the legislature or in Council to support or reject
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certain policies this is normally done through a process of public participation elections are also part of playing a role in the public policy process where the public are afforded an opportunity to choose leaders based on their policy agenda in this next section we discuss the four approaches to policy implementation these four approaches are top-down approach bottom-up approach managerial approach and principal agent approach we will now discuss each of
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these approaches briefly top-down approach this approach is when policies are set at higher levels of politics and then communicated to subordinate levels who are charged with the technical managerial and administrative role of putting such policy into practice the bottom-up approach sees policy implementation as an interactive process involving policy makers implementers from various levels of government as well as lower level administrators such as Frontline staff
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the managerial approach is a business-like model with an emphasis on efficient techniques of implementation and lastly the principal agent approach recognizes the relationship between principals who are those who Define policy and agents represented by those who Implement policy this approach is Market driven it also recognizes decentralized process furthermore the approach is a paradigm shift from the hierarchy to participation and teamwork public
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policies are influenced by a variety of factors in this next section we discuss the various factors which may affect policy implementation these factors include public opinion economic conditions new scientific discoveries and technological changes other factors which may affect policy implementation include interest groups non-governmental organizations business and economic lobbyists as well as other political activity there are many reasons for
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policy failures in this next section we look at some of the challenges of policy implementation and why some public policies end up failing the first reason that could lead to policy failure is the fact that there could be little or no basis for implementing such a policy this means that policy makers may have rushed into developing and implementing a policy without performing proper research on the challenges faced by the public the lack of research could also lead to poor
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understanding of the objectives of the policy as well as disagreement on how implementation should be done the next reason for policy failure could be as a result of opposition from Key stakeholders such as opposition parties Lobby groups community-based organizations and even the public this opposition could lead to delays in the implementation of the policy or even result in the policy being abandoned the next barrier to policy implementation could be as a result of
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insufficient human resources or insufficient financial resources which may be allocated to the policy being implemented this lack of adequate time and sufficient resources may have a negative impact on the quality of the policy to be implemented and result in the policy incorrectly being implemented the next reason for why some policies fail is that there could be a lack of clarity on the operational guidelines or roles and responsibilities for implementation
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if the implementation plan is not clear on who and how the policy should be implemented it could lead to the failure of such policy the next reason that could lead to policy failure is that the policy might be in conflict with other existing public policies policy conflicts are common and often Force policy makers to accept the need for trade-offs this could lead to some of the policy objectives not realized therefore policy makers often need
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to decide exactly on which objectives should be compromised for the greater good of other policy objectives if there is lack of coordination and collaboration between the various stakeholders responsible for the implementation of the policy this could also result in policy failure the next reason for why some policies fail is the lack of political will this will result in the lack of resources being allocated or even creating an unfriendly environment in the next section we
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discuss the eight guidelines on how to implement a successful policy but before we get into that we would like to remind you to please check out our other videos on public administration under this channel also remember to show us your support by subscribing to our Channel and don't forget to like this video for more videos now back to today's video in conclusion here are eight factors to ensure a successful policy implementation When developing public policies
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elected officials politicians and government officials must consult with all relevant stakeholders particularly those who are positioned to work with the policy regularly public policies that are adopted need to be tailored to the needs of the organization not just lifted straight from a generic manual all guidelines and Provisions must be set out in a clear and plain language the obligations outlined in the policy must further be detailed enough to ensure that
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people and organizations responsible for executing the policy are able understand exactly what is expected of them there is no point in adopting a policy which aspires to the best practice possible if the organization cannot realistically adopt what is set out therefore policy makers need to make sure that the public organization has the time resources and Personnel to implement the policy public policies must also be in writing and widely publicized elected officials politicians
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and government officials have a responsibility to provide adequate supervision and training to all stakeholders involved in the policy public policies should also be reiterated and regularly discussed with stakeholders to ensure that they remain aware of the importance and advantages of the policies elected officials politicians and government officials should also ensure that the policies which are implemented are applied in a consistent manner consequences of
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any deliberate breach should be monitored and transgressors must appropriately be punished for any breach of Provisions contained in the policy public policies must also be reviewed periodically to ensure that policies remain relevant and effective regular reviews will also ensure that changes in circumstances will be factored into any amendments of the policy
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in this next section we'll be discussing policy evaluation in the public sector by first discussing a brief overview of the public policy process and how policy evaluation fits into the whole public policy process this will lead us to defining what policy evaluation is we will then discuss the objectives and the purpose of policy evaluation and then list the various types of policy evaluation by also indicating when each type is relevant and useful we will then conclude
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by explaining the benefits of undertaking a policy evaluation and why policy evaluation is considered important as indicated in this name we will actually focus on policy evaluation now let us get back into today's video by first explaining what policy evaluation is
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policy evaluation can be better defined as a process of determining the quality Effectiveness impact and cost of a public policy and assessing whether the objectives and the goals of such public policy have been attained in other words policy evaluation is a series of activities as well as measures to investigate the effectiveness of the public policy interventions its implementation and the various processes which have been undertaken to get to the end goal
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some of the objectives of policy evaluation is essentially to determine why such a policy was adopted in the first place and also to determine the success or failure of such policy as previously indicated the main purpose of policy evaluation is to determine whether or not an adopted public policy is a success if it is found to be a success then whether such policy may be continued and replicated in other areas however if the evaluation process determines
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that the public policy or any of its processes undertaken during its implementation has failed or has not resulted in the intended results then the stakeholders in the public policy process would need to consider the following consider whether or not the foundation of the policy was based on incorrect data unforeseen circumstances or false theories consider whether or not there is a need to adjust some of the processes of implementation as well as consider whether or
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not there is a need to cease from continuing with or expanding on such public policy
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in the next section we will then list and discuss the various types of policy evaluation there are five most common types of policy evaluation namely formative valuation process evaluation outcome evaluation impact evaluation and cost benefit evaluation please note that some Scholars and literature books May label these types differently or even include and list other types not mentioned here but in this video we will focus on these five types by discussing when to use each
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of these types of evaluation and what each type reflects as well as why each of these types of evaluation is useful now let us discuss each of these types of policy evaluation in more detail the first type of policy evaluation we will discuss is formative evaluation this type of policy evaluation may be conducted when a new government program or an activity is being developed or even when an existing one is being adapted or modified
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formative evaluation ensures that the government program is feasible appropriate and acceptable before it is fully implemented formative evaluation is therefore a useful evaluation tool because it allows for modifications to be made to the plan before full implementation begins which maximizes the likelihood that the program will indeed succeed the next type of policy evaluation is the process evaluation otherwise known as implementation evaluation as this name suggests
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this type of policy evaluation should be used as soon as policy implementation begins however it can also be used during operation of an existing policy process evaluation normally indicates how well the policy is working and the extent to which such program is being implemented as designed as well as whether the policy is accessible and acceptable to its Target population
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process evaluation is useful because it provides early warning signs for any challenges that may occur and also allows policy makers and other stakeholders to tell how well their plans and activities are working the following two types of policy evaluation being the outcome evaluation and impact evaluation are sometimes used interchangeably there are however contrasting views regarding these two types of policy evaluations and what they aim to achieve
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so in this video we will indicate what the varying views are and what some commentators and authors say about these two types of policy evaluation and would also appreciate your view in the comments section some authors argue that impact evaluation measures the immediate effect of the policy and that outcome evaluation is concerned with measuring the longer term effects of the intervention and this usually corresponds to the intervention goal other
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authors hold the view that an impact evaluation paints a picture as to how a government program has affected the lives of participants on a broader scale the outcome evaluation on the other hand would tell us what kind of change has occurred essentially impact evaluation measures what impact a government program has had after its implementation
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while outcome evaluation measures what actually happened after such a program was implemented as indicated tell us where you stand on this issue of whether outcome evaluation and impact evaluation are the same or different and if different when each of them should be applied also refer to the various articles on this topic we have included the links in the description below this video
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the next type of policy evaluation is the cost benefited evaluation this type of evaluation can be done during operation of an existing government program or once the policy implementation have been completed the cost benefit evaluation is further used to measure the economic efficiency of proposed public policies through a systematic prediction of social costs versus social benefits this essentially means that those charged with the responsibility of doing so would measure
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the benefits of implementing or continuing with the implementation of a public policy against the costs associated with the implementation of such policy or continuing with such policy the cost-benefit evaluation usually provides tangible evidence for use in terms of funding decisions
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it also should be noted that the term cost in this context does not only refer to monetary value but also to the social costs of either going ahead with a certain public policy or not going ahead with such policy in this next section we will take a look at the various benefits of undertaking a public policy evaluation undertaking a public policy evaluation process can one help governments improve the design and implementation of public policies
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2. it can enhance the chance of the policy goals and objectives of being achieved 3. it can also assist in determining costing for implementing or not implementing such public policy 4. it can also identify areas of improvement in order to provide the best service possible 5. policy evaluation can also contribute to promoting public accountability before we continue to the next section on why policy evaluation is important don't forget to subscribe like comment and share this video
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so why is policy evaluation in the process of policy evaluation is important because public policies represent decisions and actions made by those in power since these decisions and actions affect every aspect of the daily lives of the public it is therefore important to have a process of evaluating such public policies another reason is that it could happen that a public policy which may have been relevant a couple of years ago May no longer be relevant to the current times and
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under the current circumstances this is why evaluating a public policy is so important during and after adoption as well as after it has been implemented policy evaluation further ensures that governments are aware of any changes if any that may need to be done to a public policy policy evaluation also assess whether or not issues which were raised in the public policy have been addressed or if such issues are still relevant in conclusion it is important
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to understand that the process of developing a public policy is detailed and requires careful handling by all stakeholders to ensure that governments address the challenges of its people and that the people can hold government accountable when their issues are not addressed
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this video was proudly brought to you by a Kano Consultants for professional advice you can trust
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for more videos on Public Finance and public administration make sure that you subscribe to our Channel
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you can also connect with us by following us on social media @ConsultKano or engage with us by leaving us a comment under this video or you can tag us on social media using the hashtag #ConsultKano until next time check out these other videos and don't forget to join us again next time for another video [Music]
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