Policy Formulation and Implementation by International Public Administration Organizations - Research Paper Example

Policy Formulation and Implementation by International Public Administration Organizations Considering that countries are more and more engaging in collaboration with other countries in diverse areas, there is often the need to develop international policies that are aimed at solving specific problems. Some of the areas that such collaborations are often focused on include socio-economic and business development. At the international level, organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others often engage in international policy formulation and implementation in their public administration duties. International public administration basically entails the process of formulating public policies as well as implementing programs that have been established in line with the demands of the public policy. Policy Policy entails the setting of goals and administration is concerned with the implementation of that policy (Naidu 61). Policy making is a constant process and the policy is formulated and reformulated at a range of levels in the administrative chain of command. The policy making process is divided into four levels; (a) the first level which is at the top is the political policy which is framed or created by the parliament, (b) the second level is the executive level which is framed or created by the cabinet, (c) the third level is the administrative policy in which the administrators perform the will of the government, and (d) the last level is the technical policy level; this is the lowest level and it is daily policy adopted by officials in the running of the administrative policy (Naidu 64). International policies are associated with four main aspects; internal, political, economic and external security related. International policies must take into consideration the interest of parties involved (mostly nation states), and must be formulated such as not to interfere unduly with national interests and the powers so held by various organs and authorities of the nations involved (South Asia Analysis para 2). Most importantly, the policies must be formulated such as to avoid conflicts and wherever unavoidable cause least damage to power, status and national interests. In this respect, member states have the responsibility to air their views concerning the issue under consideration and the impacts that solutions proposed will have on them. Member states are also expected to take into consideration the laws that govern their jurisdictions so that the international policies are in line with their respective constitutions. The Policy Formulation Process Formulation of a policy commences once the country situation analysis is conducted and its results evaluated and disseminated. The following steps are very crucial in the policy formulation process: The first and main problem in the establishment of international public policies is the identification of the aims or objectives of the policies under formulation. In many cases, public policies are formulated in response to dialogues initiated by non-governmental organizations or proposals presented by them to international public administration bodies (Heckathorn and Maser 1105). Policies may also be formulated as a response to the need to solve problems raised by public or private organizations; in response to public interest at the international level; and responses by the media to emerging issues. The formulation of policies are also influenced by the UN Charter’s constitutional provisions, adoption of national policies beyond national borders, provisions of international court directives, decisions and laws. Once the public administration body receives proposals from various stakeholders, policy formulation begins in earnest and usually involves an explicit process (Heckathorn and Maser 1111). First a statement of the issue is developed which basically manifests the objective of the policy to be formulated. Since one problem can be formed through various ways, several options are considered in developing a solution for the issue. The options available are considered taking into consideration a wide range of factors including public interest, costs, political issues involved, and possible conflicts that may arise as a result of the adoption of the policies using particular options. In other words public interest should be considered when formulating international policies. This is in appreciation of the fact that when public good is not taken into consideration, there are very high chances of conflicts arising either in the short term or long term. The various needs for dealing with the issue are then assessed and viable solutions selected of the many solutions that were previously postulated as noted by (Heckathorn and Maser 1115). Since solving a problem may necessitate a number of actions, the various actions to be taken are prioritized. Out of the selected actions, projects or programs are formulated. Further to these, the resources that are necessary to the completion of the projects and programs are allocated. In so far as resource constraints are normally an issue in practically every aspect of wide scale problem solving, member states have a role to play in providing necessary resources. Donor countries may come in to help in boosting the resource base with an aim of helping those countries that cannot afford to provide adequately for the solving of arising needs. Some Activities Involved in Policy Formulation A mandate is obtained from the highest possible authority in the government. After obtaining the mandate, the task of policy formulation is assigned to the steering committee and the task forces (World Health Organization [WHO] 10). Setting up a steering committee is the next step and the committee decides on the tasks that are to be performed. In other words, it oversees the whole process of policy formulation. The number of the steering committee members is dependent on the local situation; this means that its number varies depending on the local situation. Membership to the committee entails the senior administrators whose departments are affected. Establishment of the terms of reference for each of the task force is necessary for the identification of the activities that are crucial for the attainment of the overall objectives. The steering committee is charged with the responsibility of coordinating and facilitating the work of the task force (WHO 10). The task force undertakes bulk of the work and majority of the members of the task force are experts and knowledgeable individuals who are aware of the task to be performed. The number is usually five to seven members. The chairman of the task force should be a senior person in the ministry concerned; the person has to have authority to take immediate action for the facilitation of the task force work (WHO 10). Drafting of the Policy Document Before the drafting of the policy begins, it is important to identify the problems that exist and the solutions that have been proposed. The information is supposed to be available in the policy framework and country situation. During the country analysis step, stakeholders and task force consultation sessions should be done and the proposed solution obtained from the observations (WHO 10). The draft policy summarizes and integrates all the information and gives a proposal of the solutions in a logical and clear manner. The steering committee has to decide whether it is appropriate to engage other stakeholders at this step of drafting the policy. It will be quick if the task force creates the first draft of the policy and revise it with the stakeholders (WHO 11). A policy document has the following contents; (a) the objective of the purpose, (b) the history or background of the need for the policy, (c) scope of the policy, (d) the definitions if they are necessary, (e) the policy statement(s), and (f) the policy responsibilities/requirements/procedures (WHO 11). Identification of the Stakeholders Stakeholders may include groups, individuals or organizations that are directly or indirectly involved or affected by the issue for which the policy is being created. The beneficiaries of the policy should also be included. For example, in health the patient is the most important stakeholder. The national representatives of the important stakeholder may be drawn from the non-governmental organizations. It is imperative to have a transparent and an extensive stakeholder identification process. This ensures that all the stakeholders participate actively in the process (WHO 11). Conclusion International public administration encompasses a lot of activities. One of the main activities in performing public administration at the international level is formulating policies. These policies are aimed at solving problems or tacking issues that impact a number of nations in many cases. Since various stakeholders are involved in public administration, their views should always be taken into consideration. The policies so formulated should also be such that they do not cause conflicts amongst state members. Formulation of policies in this respect involves objective definition, proposal of various solutions, choosing of the best option, and resource allocation. Works Cited Heckathorn, Douglas and Maser, Steven "The Contractual Architecture of Public Policy: A Critical Reconstruction of Lowis Typology". The Journal of Politics (Cambridge University Press) 52 (4). 1990. pp1101–1123. Naidu, S. P. Public Administration: Concepts and Theories. New Delhi: New Age International, 2005. Print. South Asia Analysis Decision- Making In Foreign Policy. Viewed 16th March, 2011 http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cnotes%5Cnote86.html World Health Organization. Health Care Technology Policy Formulation and Implementation. Cairo, 2001. Print. Read More