St.

Chamuel College

Taguig / Pasig / Muntinlupa

College Department S.Y. 2021-2022

FIRST QUARTER

Subject: Programs and Policies on Enterprise Development

Year Level: 3rd Year – College Department

Module 4

LESSON 4:

PUBLIC POLICY AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

Introduction

Public policies are the guidelines that government entities use to coordinate their
various programs and initiatives. Public administrators are responsible for producing
and managing those policies. Individuals who know how to root out societal problems
and theorize policy-based solutions to those problems best perform this duty.

This module will discuss the introduction to policy analysis, policy system, policy
research, the role of the State and the rationale for public policy, policy implementation,
including the disciplinary foundation, processes, and methodological and practical
issues of Policy Science.

WHAT IS PUBLIC POLICY?

Public Policy is a system of courses of action, regulatory measures, laws, &

funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its
representatives. Commonly embodied in constitutions, legislative acts and judicial

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decisions; may also be created by an executive order, bureaucratic regulation, or
provincial/city/municipal/barangay ordinance.

It is also considered academic discipline as it is studied by professors & students

at public policy schools of major universities and basically the legal framework within
which society operates and Composite of decisions that government makes & programs
it embarks upon or implements to achieve goal. It Implies process of formulating &
promulgating a program based on a set of principles, the rules of action, manifesting or
clarifying specific organization goals, objectives, values, or ideals & often prescribing
the obligatory or most desirable ways & means for their accomplishment.

Public Policy is an attempt by the government to address a public issue, the

principles & standards regarded by the legislature or by the courts as being of
fundamental concern to the State & the whole society, and the course of action or
inaction taken by governmental entities with regard to a particular issue or set of issues

AIMS OF PUBLIC POLICY

The following are the aims of public policy in accordance to the development of
an enterprise:

 Reconcile conflicting claims for scarce resources

 Encourage or foster cooperation that would probably not occur without
government influence or encouragement
 Prohibit morally unacceptable behavior
 Protect the rights of individuals
 Provide direct benefits to citizens

NATURE & SCOPE OF PUBLIC POLICY

1. “The authoritative allocation of values for a society.”

2. “The process of deciding who gets what, when, where and how.”

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 3. “What the government chooses to do or not to do about a specific problem.”
4. “Establish the boundaries of our freedoms & color the contours of our interactions
with other people in our political, social & economic systems”

THREE (3) PARTS TO PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING

A. Problem – issue that needs to be addressed

B. Player – individual or group that is influential in forming a plan to address the
problem in question
C. Policy – finalized course of action decided upon by the government; widely open
to interpretation by NGO players & private sector including church & cultural
institutions

Public Policy is a complex & multifaceted process that shows the interplay of
individuals & groups (interest) competing/collaborating to influence policy makers using
the variety of tools/tactics used to advance aims and advocating positions publicly –
educating supporters/opponents, mobilizing allies.

ADVOCACY OF PUBLIC POLICY

1) Attempt to influence public policy thru education, lobbying or political pressure.

2) Educate general public/policy makers re: nature of problems, needed legislation
& funding required for services/research.
3) Regarded as unseemly but it can clearly influence public policy priorities.

GUIDANCE FOR POLICY MAKERS (CORE PRINCIPLES)

1) Politicians & public servants are accountable to the public

2) Elites, in politics & private sector, do not have the right to pursue their interests
without constraints
3) Government bureaucratic & decision processes must be open, accessible, &
transparent, as well as responsive to public

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 4) Individuals & communities affected by projects have the right to information
regarding proposed developments; the right to challenge the need for, and the
design of, projects, and the right to be involved in planning and decision-making
processes.

RATIONAL MODEL OF PUBLIC POLICY MAKING PROCESS

 Agenda setting – agencies & government officials meet to discuss the problem
at hand
 Option-formulation – alternative solutions are considered & final decisions are
made regarding the best policy
 Implementation – the decided policy is enforced

STAGES IN THE POLICY PROCESS (John W. Kingdom, 1984)

1) Agenda Setting
- Certain problems are viewed as needing action while others are postponed;
competing claims & prioritization gain or decline in prominence over time • Many
people contribute – president, members of congress, executive branch officials,
political parties, interest groups, media & the general public – in shaping public
opinion.
- From many & competing claims, policy makers select issues to be given priority
& those to be filtered out.
- Confluence of 3 streams of events: policy recognition, policy generation, &
political action.

2) Policy Recognition
- Certain topics emerge as significant issues that demand action due to many
influences such as indicators that come to public view, feedback on current
programs, or events that demand attention.

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 - Policy entrepreneurs invest personal time, energy, & often money to pursue
policy changes by using publicity campaigns, direct contacts with decision
makers (letters, phone calls) petition drives, etc. Or involve themselves in media,
political parties, or interest groups, that provide access to decision makers.

3) Policy Generation
- May occur almost simultaneously with policy recognition; likely that many are
trying to generate solutions to the problem.
- Ideas come from decision makers themselves, members of their staff, experts
in the bureaucracy, members of the scientific community, policy think tanks, or
from the general public.
- Proposed solutions swirl around through speeches & articles, papers, &
conversations until a few ideas begin to gain special currency.
- Ideas generated not only seem to correctly address the problem but seem also
to be politically acceptable.

4) Political Action
To reach the top of policy agenda, proposal must be consistent with
emerging political realities:
 Consistent with prevailing political climate
 Favored by incumbent administration & legislative majority
 Support of interest groups

5) Policy Formulation
- Development of formal policy statements (legislation, executive orders,
administrative rules, etc.) that are viewed as legitimate.
- A bill is introduced & referred to a committee, hearings are held, the committee
reports to the larger body, a vote is taken in both houses, a conference
committee works out differences in the 2 versions, & the bill is sent to the chief
executive for his signature.

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 - President has formal & informal means of influencing legislation thru program
initiatives & budget proposals
- Other government officials interact with Congress on a regular basis & may also
affect policy outcomes.
- Individual citizens & interest groups also seek access & influence.
- Government usually send proposals to the legislature for its consideration.
- Agency personnel are often called upon to provide testimony regarding
particular proposals due to their expertise on public issues.
- When relationship among interest groups, agency personnel, & members of
Congress become strong, frequent & intense, the resulting alliance is called sub-
governments or iron triangles that often exert great influence

6) Policy Implementation
- Legislation is general & lacks details.
- Legislators cannot foresee questions that may come up during implementation.
- Legislation leaves great deal of discretion to public managers in working out
details of particular program.
- Managers develop administrative rules or policies to give detail to legislation or
fill in the gaps.

TYPES OF POLICY

1. Regulatory policy – designed to limit the actions of persons or groups so as to

protect the general public or a substantial portion of the public.
2. Distributive policy – most common form of government policy, uses tax
revenues to provide benefits to individuals or groups by means of grants or
subsidies.
3. Redistributive policy – take taxes from certain groups & give them to another
group.

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 4. Constituent Policy – intended to benefit the public generally or to serve the
government.
5. Foreign & Defense Policy – policies affecting the structure & function of
government agencies like government re- organization, etc.

STEPS IN MAKING PUBLIC POLICIES (Roy Sylvan)

1. Identify problem that needs improvement or solution.

2. Develop alternative solutions that can improve or solve the problem.
3. Adopt an alternative or combination of alternatives.
4. Implement the adopted policy.
5. Evaluate the effect of the policy on the problem it addresses & on the people
affected.

STEPS IN PASSAGE OF BILL IN PHILIPPINE LEGISLATURE

1. 1st reading
- principal author may propose additional authors; contains title, number &
names of authors
- bill referred to appropriate committee for study; if disapproved by
committee, dies
2. 2nd reading
- after favorable committee evaluation, bill forwarded to Committee on
Rules for calendar; read for 2nd time in entirety
- Debates – general debate/amendments proposed in accordance with
rules
- Printing & distribution – after approval on 2nd reading, bill printed in final
form & distributed to members 3 days before passage
3. 3rd reading
- last reading where only title is read; no amendment allowed & votes
entered in journal; member may abstain; majority of quorum can pass bill

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 • Bill referred to other house – same procedure
• Bill forwarded to President – if approved on 3rd reading by both houses,
bill printed in final form & transmitted to the President for appropriate
action; no action within 30 days means the bill becomes law; bills re-
passed over veto automatically becomes law.

LOCAL LEGISLATIVE BODY (SANGGUNIAN) CRITICAL TASKS

1. Formulating & managing the legislative agenda

2. Crafting ordinances & resolutions
 Identifying & analyzing a policy problem to be addressed by legislation
 Gathering research-based information
 Drafting the legislative proposal – requires knowledge of its parts or
elements, rules of construction such as grammar & usage, form & style;
civil society groups can influence this cycle by drafting proposals & giving
them to legislators
3. Enacting ordinances & codes of ordinances
 Deliberation
 Consultation
 Codification
 Consideration
4. Evaluating the implementation of ordinances

LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT – It is the evaluation of how the policy was carried out that
funds were not wasted.

ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE LOCAL LEGISLATION

 Efficient institution or organization

 Participatory legislation process

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  Development perspective; addresses development objectives: poverty reduction,
environmental protection, gender equality, peace & unity, accountability &
transparency, citizen participation

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

 Awareness-raising on areas & mechanisms for participation

 Making existing legislative mechanisms for participation work
 Developing innovative tools to encourage & sustain participation in legislative
decision making

MECHANISMS FOR LEGISLATIVE PARTICIPATION

 Committee meetings and hearings

 Legislative agenda formulation – public consultations & workshop
 Budget hearings
 Accreditation (research, writing, information)

METHODS TO SOLICIT INPUT/COMMENT FROM PUBLIC

 Public hearing
 Public consultation
 Focus group discussion
 Community needs assessment survey
 Consultation by individual legislators

TOOLS TO REACH OUT PUBLIC

 Legislative digest
 Sanggunian brochure
 Media tools and website
 Letters to constituents
 Barangay or purok hopping

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 Study visits for students

Programs and Policies on Enterprise Development