POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN THE STUDY OF PUBLIC POLICY. IT TALKS ABOUT THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE VALUES AND OBJECTIVES DESCRIBED IN THE POLICY DESIGN.

1. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

2. INTRODUCTION
Policy Implementation forms the bridge between policy objectives
and policy outcomes.
It is the process of interaction between setting of goals and Actions
geared to achieving them.
Implementation involves :
1) Operational flexibility
2) Objective realisation
3) Objective - Action Continum

3. ELEMENTS IN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
Policy Implementation is essentially an extension of the policy
building process. It requires elements like :
1) Adequate Personnel
2) Administrative Capacity
3) Political and Judicial Support
4) Necessary Financial Support

4. ELEMENTS OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
According to Fudge and Barrett, Policy Implementation deals with
questions like :
1) Knowing what is to be done
2) Availability of resources
3) Ability to control resources to achieve result
4) Communicating with people involved in the implementation
process.

5. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● Bureaucracy : It is the executive branch of the government with the permanent,
trained and skilled officials. Therefore, they play an important Role in Policy
Implementation.
● The Administrative Role : Civil servants are bounded by their constitutional responsibility to
advise on policy options. They advise ministers on the financial and administrative
implications of different policy alternatives.
● Knowledge and Experience : Civil servants are filtered through competitive examinations
and several complex recruitment processes. Moreover, they undergo training programmes
after entering the service. It helps them provide a clear perspective on the policy process.
● Permanent :Due to the permanent nature of their job, civil servants spend more time on
each department. It helps them get familiarised with their responsibilities.

6. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● Legislative : In a parliamentary democracy, legislature is the supreme policy
making body.
● The legislature makes laws and thereby legitimise the decisions or policies for
the public.
● Collective responsibility of the executive towards the legislature authorises the
body to raise concerns over the implementation of different policies. This way
they can shape the implementation methods of a policy.
● Legislature authorises taxation and expenditure.
● Legislature puts administrative actions of the executive to criticism and
scrutiny.
● Moreover, parliament acts as the ultimate forum for public grievances.

7. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● JUDICIARY
Judiciary in every democratic nation plays a great role in policy
formation. It is carried out through the exercise of the powers of Judicial
Review (J.R) of Legislation.
● J.R is the power of the judicial courts to determine the
constitutionality of legislative and executive actions.
● The supreme court has the power of J.R against administrative
bodies. So, every public policy action can be scrutinised for its
legitimacy in the court.
● Similarly, Administrative tribunals are set up to obstruct or nullify the
implementation of particular administrative actions.

8. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● INTEREST GROUPS
● Political influence is also exercised by several interest groups in a democratic
system.
● They become an important channel of communication for the ordinary
citizens.
● They influence and pressurise public offices without any intention of
contesting elections or gaining authority.
● Well organised Interest groups have a better chance at influencing the
government than any unorganised group.
● This influence is present at both policy formulation and implementation levels.
● At implementation stage, these groups bargain for the best practices that

9. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● COMMUNITY GROUPS
● Effective policy implementation can be brought out with the
cooperation of local community groups existing in the concerned
political system, where the policy is being implemented.
● Ex: Panchayat Raj institutions can help in implementing
community development programs at the village level.

10. POLICY IMPLEMENTERS
● POLITICAL STRUCTURES
● Political parties provide proper support to their leaders in
winning elections.
● In this manner, they exert their control over policy process by
influencing the executive.
● Political parties have a better understanding of the socio-
economic-political needs of the people and can help these
demands reach higher authorities.
● There exists a power struggle between Bureaucracy and Political
parties regarding implementation.

11. IMPLEMENTATION TECHNIQUES
1) Planning
2) Timing : Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
3) Scheduling : Critical Path Method (CPM)

12. CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION
1) Clear and practical theory base
2) Proper policy directives to maximise the performance from
implementers
3) Substantial leadership and managerial skills in implementers.
4) Strong organizational support from legislators and other
stakeholders.
5) Stable political conditions

13. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
There are several approaches to policy implementation. They include :
1) Top- down model
2) Bottom-Up Model
3) Policy Action Model
4) Managerial Approaches
5) Inter-organizational interaction approach
6) Synthesis of bottom-up and top-down implementation approaches

14. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
1) TOP -DOWN APPROACH :
● Model regards policy process as a chain that starts with a policy
message at the top and implementation as occuring in a chain of
well-defined control.
● This model focus on getting people to do what they are asked. I.e
keeping control over the line workers by their higher officials.
● Follows patterns of Taylorism.
● It may cause excessive concentration of power and lead to
ineffective implementation.

15. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
2) Bottom - Up Model :
● Here, implementation deals with interactions of policy implementers
(Bureaucrats) with their lower level clients.
● This model considers implementation as a process involving negotiation and
consensus building.
● It focus on decentralisation of authority and starting from the grass-root level.
● However, this is a complex process and difficult to implement at large scale.
● Ex: 73rd and 74th constitutional Amendments for local governance.

16. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
3) POLICY ACTION MODEL
● This model focus on factors that affect the behaviour of individuals and
agencies as well as the scope for action.
● According to Barrett and Fudge, implementation can be understood in terms
of policy-action continuum where interactions take place between people who
are responsible for implementation and those with control over resources.
● Power, authority, interests and relations in an organisation are dynamic and
changing all the time. This constantly shapes and reshapes the policy.
● Therefore, the policy is constantly evolving.

17. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
4) MANAGERIALIST APPROACH
● It is the Business-like model with emphasis on efficient techniques of implementation.
● This model involves approaches like :
1) Operational Management : Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Evaluation and Review
Technique (PERT) : creating cooperation within the organization for successful
implementation.
2) Corporate Management : deals with understanding the culture of the organisation.
3) Personnel Management : motivating employees and integrating their goals to
organisational goals.
● Managerial view essentially focus on managerial values in implementation.
● Here, public policy is considered to be in need of a more market-driven decentralisation.

18. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
5) INTER ORGANISATIONAL INTERACTION APPROACH
● This approach recognises implementation as a process that involves
interaction within a multiplicity of organisations.
● These interactions can either be in the form of Power - dependency
Approach where the relations between different organisations are
based on dominance and dependence. Otherwise it can in the form
of Organisational Exchange Approach where different organisations
work for their mutual benefit.

19. APPROACHES TO POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
6) SYNTHESIS OF BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN IMPLEMENTATION
APPROACH :
● Sabatier’s model combines distinctive features of Bottom-Up
approach and Top-Down model for effective implementation.
● Here, the structures of implementation within the bottom - up
approach is maintained along with the beliefs of policy elites in
the top-down approach.

20. ● Sabatier also provides six conditions for the effective implementation
of policy objectives.
1) Clear Objectives
2) Accurate policy theory for implementing change
3) Implementation structures that can enhance the effectiveness of the
policy
4) Committed implementers
5) Stable support from concerned interest groups
6) Stable political conditions that doesn’t undermine the support of
groups involved.