NUML

National University of Modern Languages

MSc – II – Governance & Public Policy (Afternoon)

Economic Analysis of Public Policy

Title of Report “Goals of Public Policy and Analysis on Policy of Social

Distancing due to COVID-19”

Submitted to: Ma’am Shahida Noor

Submitted by: Sheikh Shoaib Tariq
Roll No: 7803
Class: MSc – Governance & Public Policy
Semester: Second
Word Count: 1308

Date of Submission: 30-04-2020

 2020

Goals of Public
Policy and
Analysis on Policy
of Social
Distancing due to
COVID-19

BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS

SHEIKH SHOAIB TARIQ

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MODERN LANGUAGES | ISLAMABAD

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................................... 2
Goals of Public Policy: ........................................................................................................................................... 3
 To maintain Law and Order to Govern the Country. ............................................................................... 3
 To guide government in their initiatives for the betterment of Public. .................................................. 3
 To exercise better usage of Resources. .................................................................................................... 3
 To ensure effective service delivery and development of society. ......................................................... 3
 To analyze and resolve public issues legally. ........................................................................................... 3
 To establish and maintain political process. ............................................................................................ 3
Analysis on policy of social distancing due to COVID-19 ..................................................................................... 3
Highlights of Social Distancing Policy: ............................................................................................................... 4
Analysis: ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

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 Goals of Public Policy:
There are many of objectives of public policies, which is to be implemented for the welfare of
public, and primarily for the progression of a nation. Some of its goals are as under and can only be
fulfilled by using public institutions:

 To maintain Law and Order in Governing the Country.

As public policy is made of set of rules and regulations furnished by legal authorities and
representative government under the influence of stake holders and other essential actors of society
i.e. policy advocacies and think tanks, therefore its main goal is to maintain law and order inside a
country which helps the government to implementation of publicly designed policies with the help of
law enforcement agencies in adequate way. Public policies are essential in order to govern the country
legitimately and mannerly. Formulation of criteria for punishments and setting of rewards for public
also included in it.

 To guide government in their initiatives for the betterment of Public.

Policies are basically legitimate standard operating procedures that guides the way for making
decisions and its implementation under its umbrella. Similarly, public policies, when designed, helps
and guide government in exercising its authorities such that making of decisions, way forwards and
also government intentions.

 To exercise better usage of Resources.

Resources are always scarce either it is a nation or a single institution. It is very difficult to
manage them in effective manner that they may give greater benefit with less input. It is another goal
of public policy to set standards that guarantee best usage of resources, either they are natural or
artificial, keeping in view the best results and outcomes using different types of analyses.

 To ensure effective service delivery and development of society.

Public policies are always intended for the betterment of public and nation as a whole, its key
goal is to ensure effective service delivery by the government and development of society in a way to
get progressed. Building of symbolic or tangible developments, which are most suitable, that help or
facilitate public is always the target of public policy.

 To analyze and resolve public issues legally.

With the assumption of social contract theory, it is clear that there are some rights and duties
both for citizens and government. Hence, public policies are also aimed to resolve public issues after
analyses as it is one of the duty of government. After determining the issues, policies are designed
legally by state actors and elected representatives of public aimed to alleviate public problems.

 To establish and maintain political process.

Generally, public policies are formulated to conduct political processes within the country to
manage matters of national interests. In any country, political processes are always important to avoid
aristocracy and keeping of government authority based on negotiations between all the actors of
society. Therefore, it is also a main goal of public policy to establish and maintain political actions to
achieve desired results.
Other than aforementioned goals, it is not wrong to iterate that every policy acquire its own goals,
objectives and targets based on their situations and needed results.

Analysis on policy of social distancing due to COVID-19

Before conducting analysis, I would like to present highlights of the policy of social distancing
consequent upon the emergence of COVID-19.
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Highlights of Social Distancing Policy:
Many international health organizations gave policy of social distancing to fight with the
pandemic of Corona Virus. The policy states:
- Stay minimum 1 meter away from others.
- Avoidance of social gathering and physical greetings such as shaking of hand, embracing and
kissing.
- Be away of public crowded areas and mass gatherings and remain at home until unless it is very
necessary to go outside.
- Exercising of perfect hygiene most importantly in public places.
- Offering of prayers at home rather than visiting mosques and temples in order to worship.
- Imposition of lock down and closure of markets (other than edible sellers), educational
institutions, public parks, gyms, transportations, flights and immigrations.

Analysis:
Policies are always designed after finding its need and essentiality to achieve certain goals.
Public policy for social distancing is aimed to undermine epidemic disease of corona virus. Social
distancing is the only solution considered as a remedy of this disease because there is no vaccine
prepared until. Since, this disease is epidemic and due to cross boarder relations and bulk of daily
travel between countries boosted this virus all over the world. Doctors and medical professionals
around the globe suggested social distancing as the only countermeasure to eradicate this virus.
It is very difficult to impose social distancing by government, until unless every citizen is not
ready to practice it individually. It is visible that those countries which adopted this policy wiping out
this disease more quickly like china according to the data of Worldometer 1 , only 619 patients
remained in China, which was considered as origin of this disease, due to practicing lock down and
social distancing. Although, there are some rumors in social media that China made medicine but still
they did not floated this news officially. Countries other than China also quickly eliminating this
pandemic by just exercising this attribute of distancing in their social life.
While if we put a sight in the social system of Pakistan, it is very difficult to practice social
distancing. People used to live nearer to each other in joint family systems mostly with their paternal
side as they are bounded with their norms. Sharing of outfits with siblings, get to gather of friends,
daily meetups, invitations and regular parties are very common among the youth inside Pakistan.
People are habitual of greeting by shaking hands, hugging and kissing usually. According to report,
approximately, only 22% citizens of Pakistan following proper social distancing policy other than
closures that has been enforced by government.
Most of the population of Pakistan is Muslim. And by following the obligations of Islam, it is
mandatory, for men, to perform obligatory worships, predominantly Salah in Mosque. Primarily,
religious leaders and scholars were not ready to accept this policy but later on due to increase in ratio
of corona affected patients they had to consider it.
Due to significant poverty in Pakistan, bulk of its population is daily wager and earning on the
basis of contract. To follow policy of social distancing, government imposed lock down. In the result
of this lock down, those daily earners are suffering a lot. Even in many families only one soul is
responsible for the daily earnings to fulfill the needs of their families. If he forced to stay inside home
and follow the rule of social distancing, it will be very difficult for him to manage load of his daily
expenses.

1 Worldometers.info is a website that is mainly gathering data of corona affected people from all over the world.
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 If we count the benefit ratio of social distancing, it is not invalid to say that it cure this disease
with quick action as it stops transmission of from person to person. But on the other hand, it is not
possible to fully implement this policy in Pakistan.

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