A reflective analysis of public policy development and implementation, a career civil servant's strategy to facilitate surviving major organizational change and rapid policy development
Date
2000-10-01T00:00:00Z
Authors
McEwen, Gary Ross
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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to identify and relate a useable theoretical context for the development and implementation of public policy with specific reference to public education policy development and implementation. The role of the State in facilitating the process of public policy was examined in terms of the global challenges of information technology, shifting jurisdictional boundaries, and the changing role of government operation with respect to governance. The institutional character of a department of education was examined via the process of personal reflection. Decision-making, critical analysis, public discourse, and the emergence of a learning organization as the future of the public service were examined covering a period of 25 years. The study begins with a discussion of global challenges facing public policy conceptualization. The importance and complexity of policy analysis and policy making is examined emphasizing the role of both public and private sector input. Policy implementation and policy evaluation chapters highlight the impact of 'new' public management and the involvement of people using alternative evaluation strategies. The study concludes with a discussion of the future of public policy and the application of the public policy development and implementation theory to the personal experience of the writer. The study recommends that public input, critical discourse, and collaborative management strategies can ensure the continued improvement of public policy and in the process dramatically improve the operational effectiveness of the State to accomplish the task.