Improving the policy capability and performance in India

Improving the policy capability and performance in India

 

Policy making and implementation and management should be integrated and aligned in order to carry out the strategic intent of the government.  In India we have top down policy making. In top down policy making, authorities must have clear objectives, clear communication between different layers of governments and strong knowledge base about the problem (Mulgan & Lee 2001). But practically this never happens. Policy makers are not aware of the real world and communication gap exist between policy makers and implementers. This gap results in an over enthusiasm about the capacity of the change to be infinite, which in reality will be finite along with underestimated risks.

 

 

My one suggestion for improving the policy capability and performance is to reduce the gap in communication between policy makers and implementers. Many policies and programs face practical difficulties while implementing which may not be expected by the policy makers or decision makers. For instance, road traffic policy of building a foot over bridge may be good and feasible while studying. But on implementation it was found difficult to implement because a group of shop owners objected to it as it will reduce their business as well as it will uglify the spot and block the view of buildings. Better communications between all levels of the system and those involved in policy development and implementation can reduce the chance for failures. Nowadays web-based tools are available that link together many players involved in a change process. These tools will allow the stakeholders to participate in the whole process from design through implementation to review and improvement.

 

According to Scott & Baehler (2010) performance can be improved by applying insights from regular monitoring and reviewing of policies. Scott & Baehler, (2010) also states that in most cases the focus of government is on outputs and short-term political advantages rather than outcomes which is true in Indian scenario. In India, monitoring of the financial aspects of implementation are done rather than the effectiveness of the policy in delivering the outcomes. Also, no evaluation of the outcomes, especially medium-term and long-term outcomes are done in India. For policies to be effective in achieving outcomes that deliver value to the citizen, the entire system must function well. Every new initiative need a built-in capacity to learn, for monitoring and evaluation. This may involve horizontal networks to allow sharing of best practices. Lessons learned units in departments to quickly identify emerging solutions and issues give quick feedback to policy makers. A machinery for monitoring enable quick adjustment of priorities, resources and targets. Outcomes should be assessed with reference to professional standards.  For evaluation, correct data and information is needed. The data and information available are limited or not adequate and sometimes suppressed. A knowledge pool by collecting evidence on implementation and delivering and publicising it to solicit reviews by all concerned stakeholders is to be encouraged. Lessons learned exercise carried out after implementation would ensure that mistakes are not repeated. However, everyone should be tolerant to unexpected results and ready to learn from the results.

 

Reference

Mulgan and Lee (2001). Better Policy Delivery and Design:

Scott, C., & Baehler, K. (2010). Adding Value to Policy Analysis.