POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

What are the conditions for successful policy

implementation or what are primary obstacles
to successful policy implementation ?
GEORGE EDWARDS III :
1. COMMUNICATION
A. Transmission : accuracy policy decisions and
implementation orders; agreement from
implementors, direct, channel of communication.
B. Clarity : lack of clarity, vague directives and
specific implementation communications, the lack
of consensus.
 C. Consistency : inconsistent instructions – the
complexity of public policy, the problems of
starting up new programs, the multiple objectives
of policies.

2. RESOURCES

A. Staff : size – lack of staff, skill – poorly trained

staff, shortage of people with management skills;
new programs.
B. Information : knowledge to carry out policies
esp., innovative or highly technical; monitoring the
compliance – demands information.
C. Authority : lack of authority, formal authority
but constrained in their exercised, inappropriate
authority.
 D. Facilities : building, equipments, supplies or
land, budgetary limitations, intricate government
regulations, citizen opposition.

3. DISPOSITIONS
A. Effects Of Dispositions : attitude of
implementors – desire to carry out policies, exercise
considerable discretions, because their
independence from their nominal superiors who
formulate the policies per se and how they see the
policies affecting their organizational and personal
interests.
B. Staffing Of Bureaucracy : demands for
“balance” the nesessity of pleasing constituencies
and a desire not to alienate persons already
 occupying public office; most bureucrats are
covered by civil service protection, are immune
from removal; transferring personne; to other
positions within the civil service.
C. Incentives : rewards, “sweeteners” in the form
of funds or lax regulations and tax breaks; negative
sanctions.

4. BUREAUCRATIC STRUCTURE

A. Standard Operating Procedures : developed

SOPs to handle the routine situations. SOPs are
often inappropriate for new policies and may cause
resistance to change, delay, waste or unwanted
actions.
B. Fragmentation : hindering coordination. The
obstacles to effective policy implementation are
exacerbated when the structure of government is
fragmented. In general, the more coordination that
is nacessary to implement a policy, the less the
chances of its succeding.
 Direct and Indirect Impacts on
Communications
Implementation
Resources
Implementation
Dispositions
Bureaucratic
Structure
Source : G.C. Edwards III, 1980, Implementating Public Policy, pp.148

Communications Bureaucratic Structure

• Transmission • Standard Operating Procedures
• Clarity • Fragmentation
• Consistency
Resources Dispositions
• Staff • Effect of Dispositions
• Information • Staffing the Bureaucracy
• Authority • Incentives
• Facilities
 Low
• Family and Community
• Voluntary Organization
• Private Markets

Voluntary
Instruments
• Information and Exhortation
• Subsidies
• Auction of Property Rights

Mixed
• Tax and User Charges

Instruments
• Regulation
• Public Enterprises
ts

• Direct Provision
Compulsor
yInstrumen
A Spectrum Of Policy Instruments

High