WAYS TO APPLY PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC SECTOR

MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE

PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT MODULE

BY: JUDITH KIFFOLA

EMAIL:judithkiffola95@gmail.com
COUNTRY: UGANDA
QUESTION

Explain ways you would apply the knowledge obtained from the subject of public policy
and Public sector management if you were one of the senior government officials in Uganda
Public Policy is concerned with the actions of governments as they deal with the issues of the
day. These maybe in a specific are such as economic policy or wider in scope. It may involve the
government providing goods and services or seeking the influence of the private and voluntary
sector.
The process of public policy-making is complex and involves a mix of history, political,
economic, legal and social factors, public management, which can be studied at postgraduate
level. Is concerned with governance and leadership of the public sector.
Public Policy generally consists of set of actions- plans, law and behaviors- adopted by a
government.
If I was one of the senior government officials in Uganda, I would apply the knowledge in the
following ways;
Planning and regulating
The stereotype of old governance is of a bureaucratic state trying to impose its plan on society.
Formal strategic planning did pay a prominent role in much state activity in the latter 20th
century. Plans help to establish the goals and visions of the state and its agencies and they
facilitate the concentration of resources in areas where they are thought to be likely to improve
an organization’s efficiency in relation to its dominant goals. The new governance includes
expanded regimes of regulation, with a growing number of agencies, commissions and special
courts enforcing rules to protect competition and social protection. As a senior government
official, I would ensure effective planning for better establishment of projects and programs.
Managing Networks
Social scientists often conclude that the withdrawal of the state from service delivery led to a
proliferation of networks and regulatory institutions. The spread of networks appears to have
further undermined the ability of the state to control and coordinate the implementation of
policies. Social scientists, notably institutionalist, thus argue that effective public policy now
depends on mechanisms for controlling and coordination networks. The different strategies of
network management can be seen as a complementing one another. In this view, the state should
deploy different policy styles as appropriate in different settings. Public sector managers respond
to citizens’ references and specific problems in concrete settings. Generally, they have to bear in
mind multiple objectives, including meeting quality standards, promoting efficiency, remaining
democratically accountable and maintaining public trust and legitimacy.
Effectiveness and Efficiency in service delivery
Efficient and effective service delivery involves creating a win-win situation for both the
company and its customer. To do this a company must provide it customers with value for
money and time. As a result of this, the customer can derive maximum benefits from the services
or products provided by a company. The Uganda Roads Authority has effectively built good
roads across Uganda which has led to effective delivery of goods and services across the nation,
such as the Entebbe Express highway, Jinja Bridge, northern bypass and many others. This has
lessened the time period of delivery. As a senior government official, would ensure that each
project achieves the effectiveness and efficiency it has to deliver.
Advocate for fairness and equity
Equity is one interpretation of fairness or justice. A central theme in debates about fairness and
justice is equality versus equity. Equity means people should be treated differently by public
policy to compensate for different circumstances and consequent need for help from government.
For example, in the Ministry of Education and sports, the have a program that provides free
education to the students that cannot afford, that’s Universal Primary Education, Universal
Secondary Education and also provides scholarships to some University students. This therefore
provides fairness for every Ugandan to have access to education. As a senior government official
in Ministry of Education and Sports, I would ensure that the university scholarships affect the
right students who are unable to pay for the education services.
Advocate for e-government and e – governance
E-government means the act of ICT in government operations, as a tool to increase the outreach
of the government services to the general public. Its aims at increasing transparency, efficiency
and citizen involvement in the various government schemes, operations and process. It ensures
greater level of efficiency and effectiveness in the government activities and operations and
improves access to information to the common mass. For example, Ministry of Internal Affairs
e-portal where public applies for passports via their website.
E-governance implies the use of ICT in transforming and supporting functions and structures of
the system. It enables the public in availing services, operations, schemes with help of
information and communication Technology (ICT). It enhances transparency, efficiency,
accountability and citizen participation. Guides the government to make improvement in key
areas, leads to cost reduction and citizen empowerment through access to information. For
example, Uganda Revenue Authority have provided easy access to tax payments and access of
other information through the URA portal.
Promoting public values
Public Values describes values that an organization or activity contributes to society. The term
was originally coined by Harvard professor Mark H. Moore who saw it as the equivalent of
shareholder value in public management. Public value is supposed to provide mangers with a
notion of how entrepreneurial activity can contribute to the common good. There is a need to
create a corporate culture in which the pursuit of public values by employees is rewarded just as
pursuing shareholder value is rewarded in private corporations.
Public value refers to the value created by government through services, laws, regulations and
other actions. For example, the Uganda Police Force has a service that allows the public to calls
them for emergencies “911”.

Accountability
Is the responsibility for a particular action or goal. While public sector accountability is the
appropriate people taking responsibility for working towards appropriately defined results.
Appropriate means accurately determining who should be responsible for what. It requires a
process of continuous improvement, data driven decision making, transparency for results and
continuous communication with partners, stakeholders and the public. Accountability isn’t just
taking responsibility, it involves a set of actions, attitudes, aspirations, and expectations that
establish how an organization or agency should run and to what end. For example, the project
managers in the Uganda Road Authority have to provide accountability of what has been spent in
the construction of the roads assigned to them in a certain period of time.

Respect for the rule of law

The rule of law is fundamental to national peace and security and political stability, to achieve
economic and social progress and development and to protect people’s rights and fundamental
freedoms. It is foundational to people’s access to public services, curbing corruption, restraining
the abuse of power and establishing the social contract between people and the state.
Strengthening the rule of law involves respect for the norms of the national law including on the
use of force and recognition of the primary responsibility of the states to protect their populations
from genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes. For example,
Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and two other officials resigned in October 2011
after being accused of corruption.
 REFRENCES

https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/impact-government-subsidies-private-secondary-
school-performance-uganda

http://www.npa.go.ug/development-plans/national-development-plan-ndp/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/governance/Democratic-visions

https://www.bbc.com/news