Policy and Policy Making

1. Policy and Policy Making

2. Policy Definition
• Policy process is a crucial element in
educational planning
“An explicit or implicit single decision or group
of decisions which may set out directives for
guiding future decisions, initiate or retard
action, or guide implementation of previous
decisions”

3. Policy making is the first step in any
planning cycle
Policies, differ in terms of their
• Scope
• Complexity
• Decision environment
• Range of choices
• Decision criteria

4. Types of Policies
Issue-specific Policy
Programme Policy
Multi-programme Policy
Strategic Policy

5. Issue-specific Policy
Issue-specific policies are short-term
decisions involving day-to-day
management or, as the term implies, a
particular issue
Programme Policy
A programme policy is concerned with the
design of a programme in a particular area

6. Multi-programme Policy
Multi-programme policy decision deals with
competing programme areas
Strategic Policy
Strategic decisions deal with large-scale
policies and broad resource allocations

7. Example
• Strategic: How can we provide basic education
at a reasonable cost to meet equity and
efficiency objectives?
• Multi-programme: Should resources be allocated
to primary education or to rural training centres?
• Programme: How should training centres be
designed and provided across the country?
• Issue-specific: Should graduates of rural centres
be allowed to go into intermediate schools?

8. Another Example
• Strategic: Should we or do we need to introduce
diversified education?
• Multi-programme: How should we allocate
resources between general education,
vocational education, and diversified education?
• Programme: How and where should we provide
diversified education?
• Issue-specific: How should practical subjects be
taught in diversified schools?

9. Policy Making
Social scientists reveals the two essential
dimensions of policy making:
• who does it (the actors)
• how (the process)
Historically, the actor in policy making has
been considered unitary and rational
Recently policy analysts have introduced
the organizational (public interest) model
and the personalistic (self-interest) model

10. The process element has fluctuated
between a synoptic (comprehensive)
approach and an incremental approach
Synoptic method
One single central planning authority for the whole
of society, combining economic, political, and
social control into one integrated planning
process that makes interaction unnecessary

11. The synoptic approach to policy making is built on
the following assumptions:
 that the problem at hand does not go beyond
man's cognitive capacities and
 there exist agreed criteria (rather than social
conflict on values) by which solutions can be
judged
 that the problem- solvers have adequate
incentives to stay with synoptic analysis until it is
completed

12. Incremental Approach
relies on interaction rather than on a complete analysis
of the situation to develop a blueprint for solving
problems
The incremental approach to policy making is built
on the following assumptions:
 Policy options are based on highly uncertain
and fluid knowledge, and are in response to a
dynamic situation (ever-changing problems,
and evolving contexts)
 No 'correct' solution can therefore be found, or
technically derived from a diagnosis of the
situation.

13.  Only incremental and limited policy adjustments
can be made
 Policy adjustments are expected to remedy an
experienced dissatisfaction with past policies,
improving the existing situation or relieving an
urgent problem

14. Dimensions of Policy Making