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 Lecture 2
Understanding Public Policies : Type and
Characteristics , Stake Holders
 Learning Outcomes

• Able to categorize the various types of Policies

• Able to deduce the cyclic process of public policy
making
 The Concept of Policy

• a declaration of goals;
• a declaration of course of action;
• a declaration of general purpose;
• an authoritative decision

Goal may be define by slogan “ Step out of Bank Step

out of poverty” , Jan dhan Yojna
 TYPOLOGIES OF POLICIES

1. Distributive 7. Substantive:
2. Re-Distributive 8. Capitalisation
3. Regulatory
4. Constituent
5.Conflict
6. Bargaining
 Distributive

Distributive policies are meant for specific segments

of society
 concerned with the distribution of new resources
Example : Food security , Social insurance
Question : Tell the name or any programme of
economy?
Objective : Welfare of specific segment of society ,
Poverty removal
 Re-Distributive
• changing the distribution of existing resources.
• concerned with the rearrangement of policies

Certain public goods and welfare services are

disproportionately divided among certain segments
of the society
Example : Income tax policies
Objective : Equality , delivery of public goods ,
equitable distribution
 Substantive

• Concerned with the general welfare and

development of the society
• Example : Education , employment and pollution
• Objective : Overall welfare of society
 Conflict (Theodore J. Lowi)

• Their focus is on the way in which conflict is created

and managed.

Example : human events, natural disasters,

international conflict, war and technological
changes.

International policy issues

 Capitalization

• Policies for local and state government

• Resources are distributed among Various level of
governance
• financial subsidies arc given by the Union
government

• Example : Finance commission recommendation

 Regulatory

• Regulatory policies are concerned with regulation

of trade, business, safety measures, public utilities

• Made by Organization

Example : Reserve Bank of India, Hindustan Steel

 Bargaining Policy (Lowi)

• Criteria of costs and benefits from the point of view of

the possibilities of different outcomes
• When there is range of possibilities
• Example : concentrated benefits to a small section of
society but whose costs are widely dispersed…..
Industrial waste, Alcoholic consumption
 Constituent Policy (Lowi)

• Constituent policy issues are concerned with the

setting-up or reorganisation of institutions
• Based on the law and constitutions
• Formulation of state , Agency and Bodies

Example : Separation of Uttar Pradesh , Formation of

Jharkhand
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
• Dynamic Process
• Complex Process
• Policy making Comprises Various Components
• Different Contributions
• Decision-Making
• Lays down Major Guidelines
• Mainly Formulated by Governmental Organs
• Aims at Achieving what is in the Public Interest
 Continued :

• Public policy process is goal oriented

• Presence of heterogeneity
• Pluralistic in nature
• Long term goals are defined
 Stake Holders :
• Political parties and their ideology.
• interest group and pressure group. Civil Society
• Media. NGOs
• Social movement. Universities
• Voluntary organizations. Local institutions
• Individual
• Research societies
• Judiciary
• Bureaucracy
Cyclic Process
 Process of Stake holders in Cyclic Process:

Identification of problem
 Inform
 Consult
 Involve
 Collaborate
 Empower
Policy Evaluation
 Critical question

• Q1? In which stage Judiciary play important role

• Q2. Is Agenda decided by demand driven voting

intensity in democracy ?

• Q3. Weakest link in the cyclic process is

Implementation or Evaluation
• THANK YOU
The Public Policy Process
 1) Recognize

What is the problem or issue?

What will the role of the government be?
What is the agenda?
Issues come to the attention of federal
government through: interest groups,
organizations, court cases, members of Congress,
bureaucratic agencies, individual citizens.
Challenge: differing opinions and priorities
 2) Formulate

• What are the steps that will be taken to solve the

issue or problem?
• Will the issue be dealt with all at once or in stages?

• Challenges: different solutions proposed by different

individuals, groups, organizations. Reaching a
compromise on both sides.
 3) Adopt

• What course of action will the government

ultimately take? Will it be new legislation or an
executive order?

• Challenge: It’s a time consuming process. Adoption

of policy takes considerable amount of time,
process can be difficult and often times
controversial.
 4) Implement

• How will the new policy be applied to real

situations?
• How will the government make sure the general
public will know about them?
• What are the consequences for individuals, states,
organizations that do not follow the new policy?

• Challenges: uniformity and equal application of the

law to all levels of gov’t
 5) Evaluate
What positive changes have resulted from the
policy? What are the challenges?
What are the unforeseen problems? What have
been the unexpected costs?
Challenges: Will the policy be evaluated in the
same way by different government entities?
“Throw out” the policy or just amended it?
Differing opinions on how to fix the policy.
 Getting on the Political Agenda

• Political Agenda -- a set of issues thought by the

public or those in power to merit action by
government.

• Questions to consider when determining the

“legitimacy” of an issue:
– Current political values
– Weight of custom & tradition
– Impact of events
 “Agents” in the
policy making process
• Who makes policy?
– Congress, the President, the bureaucracy

• Who influences policy?

– Interest Groups
– Political elites & the general public
– state and local governments
– The mass media
 Meta Approach before Activity Mapping

1. Use Mind Map software for policy formulation

for any sector
2. Choose any are of choice your scheme …Which
you want to activity map like Health, education,
sanitation , water, child development …
3. We can make activity map for any centrally
sponsored scheme.
 4. You must of basic understanding of public
finance .
5. Divide model map according to principle only.