QUESTION

Why should a developing country emphasize good governance in public policy implementation?

Public policy has been defined differently by different scholars;

A public policy is a deliberate and (usually) careful decision that provides guidance for addressing selected public concerns. Policy development can be seen, then, as a decision making process that helps address identified goals, problems or concerns. At its core, policy development entails the selection of a destination or desired objective (Hazelkom & Gibson, 2019).

The actual formulation of policy involves the identification and analysis of a range of actions that respond to these concerns. Each possible solution is assessed against a number of factors such as probable effectiveness, potential cost, resources required for implementation, political context and community support. Public policies are filtered through a specific policy process, adopted, implemented through laws, regulatory measures, courses of government action, and funding priorities, and enforced by a public agency (Cairney, 2019).

In a nutshell, public policy seeks to achieve a desired goal that is considered to be in the best interest of all members of society. Examples include clean air, clean water, good health, high employment, an innovative economy, active trade, high educational attainment, decent and affordable housing, minimal levels of poverty, improved literacy, low crime and a socially cohesive society, to name a few.

According to (Pring & Vrushi, 2019.) Due to poor governance the global economy looses 3.6 trillion dollars annually in corrupted officials, they further assert that, proponents of the good governance agenda see it as a worthy goal not only in and of itself, but also as a means through which to impact a variety of other outcomes, particularly economic growth and development. In poorly governed countries, it is argued, corrupt bureaucrats and politicians baldly hinder development efforts by stealing aid contributions or misdirecting them into unproductive activities. Less obvious but equally pernicious, governments that are not accountable to their citizens and with inefficient bureaucracies and weak institutions are unwilling or unable to formulate and implement pro-growth and pro-poor policies. In a well-cited quote, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that, ‘good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development’ (UN 1998). Thus, proponents argue, good governance should be at the center of development policy: donors should not only provide positive support for governance reforms in aid-recipient countries, but also should incentivize better  governance by taking into account the quality of governance in decisions about the distribution of foreign assistance.

According to (Rothstein, 2012), in order to define good governance it is better to first understand the meaning of governance, he further indicates that Governance means;  the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance.

The following are some of the several key aspects involved in public policy;

Policy analysis describes the investigations that produce accurate and useful information for decision makers. The importance of sound public policy analysis in achieving various goals related to the growth and development of a nation and its citizens cannot be overemphasize.

Policy can also be categorized as reactive or proactive. Reactive policy emerges in response to a concern or crisis that must be addressed – health emergencies and environmental disasters are two examples.

Proactive policies, by contrast, are introduced and pursued through deliberate choice. The national skills and learning agenda exemplifies this approach. Knowledge and learning increasingly have been recognized as vital keys that unlock the doors to both economic wealth and social well-being.

An over view of public policy in Africa

As developing countries emerged from their colonial status after the Second World War onwards, the transition from dependent territories to independent nations was greatly facilitated by the existence of colonial civil service institutions. The post-colonial administrative machineries had to grapple with a new ethos, reflecting new aspirations demanded by their citizens. The inherited public administration system emerged as the natural choice through which the struggle toward development and national building could be achieved. This gave rise to the emergence of public administration as a field of study in post-colonial African designed to reverse the socio-economic and political imbalances created by colonialism (Cairney, 2019).

A cursory examination of literature on developing countries’ managerial capacity or incapacity leads one to speculate that most developing countries seem to lack a well-coordinated central policy making machinery of government which has the capacity to set major objectives of government and ensure their consistency. In other words, most developing countries lack an administrative body capable of responding to the needs of accelerated development (Vyas-Doorgapersad, 2012). The central government machinery (central agencies, ministries and departments) in developing countries have tragically failed to initiate and maintain the economic development the people seek despite its rapid expansion over the years.

According to (Ali, 2015)Most African countries have experienced the crisis of political turmoil, intolerance and harsh dictatorship; others have a military regime with highly centralized government processes. To name a few, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Libya, Ethiopia and Uganda are in dire straits, resulting in a marked degree of social disintegration and economic stress throughout the continent. Against this background, Otenyo (2006) highlights the need for African countries to prioritize development administration, nation building, and change management. The debate on why Africa is still rich in terms of natural resources but poor in terms of net worth bank balances is intriguing and has led some to highlight the lack of capacity in Africa to exploit the given natural resources in a beneficial manner. Some have even argued that managerial capability is some African countries have declined. Academics and consultants have tried, often painstakingly to explain why this paucity of managerial skills is rampant in the developing countries despite the massive increases in the number of management institutes and public service training centres in the various countries

Apart from that public policy in africa is also faced with a series of challenges including corruption this can be observed in many african countries like south Africa as reported by Transparency international (2012) which reported that In Africa public administration and public policy are faced with numerous challenges, this has hamperd public service delivery, Corruption in South Africa includes the private use of public resources, bribery and improper favouritism. The 2012 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index assigned South Africa an index of 4.3, ranking South Africa 69th out of 176 countries (tied with Brazil and Macedonia). South Africa has a robust anti-corruption framework, but laws are inadequately enforced, two forms of corruption are particularly prevalent in South Africa; tender preneurism and bee fronting.

It is heartening to note that African leaders have come to realize that something has to be done about the problems facing the continent. There have been attempts to address economic stagnation in a large number of African countries. The World Bank has been a leading actor in determining the nature and form of various country structural adjustments. The bank has found out over the years that one of the many factors contributing to project failure in SSA is the limited institutional and administrative capacity of the SSA states. A comprehensive plan that became known as The Joint Program of Action for sub – Saharan Africa was launched in 1984. It called upon African governments and the international community to help SSA meet the daunting development challenges facing the continent.

The importance of public policy in public policy implementation

The major concern of public policy is to properly organize men and material for achieving desired ends. As a co-operative group activity, administration is truly universal and operates in all types of public and private organizations. In other words, administration occurs in both public and private institutional settings. Its nature depends upon the nature of the setting and goals with which it is concerned. On the basis of the nature of the institutional setting, public administration can be roughly distinguished from private administration. Public policy is governmental administration concerned with achieving state purposes, determined by the state. It is important to understand the functioning of administration for on this lies the understanding of the government.

Through good government all the citizens views are well represented and there is participation in the decision making process and this ensures that the citizens feel that they are part of the governance, according (Ali, 2015), to Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.

In the formulation of good public policies following rule of law is imperative and this is one of the essential qualities of good governance. Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force. Some of the countries where there is no rule of law there has been poor governance of the institutions and these countries in turn have failed. Some of the critical examples of were the countries have failed due to lack of rule of law include, Somalia, Afghanistan and Uganda in the Iddi Amin’s regime.

Having transparency in public policy formulation is imperative to achieve good governance. Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media. Lack of transparency in public policy formulation has led to failure of many governments in the developing and has also compromised on the government’s ability to deliver the required social services to the citizens of their respective countries. According to (House , 2011)   The lack of transparency and accountability regarding how the money is spent, combined with the government’s failure  to investigate and punish high profile corruption cases, has  raised doubts among donors as to whether direct budget support can generate the  reforms and improvements the country badly needs. For instance, in August 2012, the Office of the Auditor General reported that approximately 12 million Euros in aid channelled through direct budget support were allegedly transferred to private bank accounts of officials from the Ugandan Prime Minister’s Office (Auditor General, 2012; Transparency International, 2012).  These funds were supposed to support the Ugandan government’s plan for peace-building and development in the Northern region. As a result, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland suspended their assistance to the country, requiring the Ugandan government to repay the allegedly stolen money  (Tijssen & Erika, 2018).

Responsiveness is key in ensuring good governance in public policy formulation; Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe, institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law. According to (Pring & Vrushi, 2019.) corruption which is as a result of lack of accountability has kept African countries and other developing countries the report by the author further indicates that The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite having unrivalled natural wealth – particularly in the form of oil, gas and mineral deposits. Development in the country is significantly hampered by insecurity, conflict and mismanagement of natural resources. Public services are weak, underfunded and poorly run, making anti-corruption efforts severely challenging.

In order to achieve good governance public formulators must ensure that there is Consensus, among the citizens either directly or through the members elected to represent the citizens. There are several actors and as many viewpoints in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community.

Good governance is essential in achieving Equity and inclusiveness among the citizens and this in long run creates peace and harmony as the citizens will feel they are in control of their destiny. A society’s wellbeing depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their wellbeing.

Through good governance the country is able to achieve Effectiveness and efficiency. Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.

Having good governance guarantees Accountability to the citizens. Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law and therefore good governance is key in public policy formaulation.

Public policy is towards more of governance, than of direct involvement, has to play enabling, collaborative, cooperative, partnership and regulatory roles. Coming to the core areas such as defense, law and order, foreign policy it has a direct role to play. In certain other areas such as telecommunications, airlines, insurance, etc., it has to compete with the private sector, for which there should be regulatory commissions to provide for equal level playing fields for both the sectors. There are other areas which it can have partnership with the citizens for efficient delivery of services, for example, maintenance of schools, hospitals, irrigation water and civic amenities. An example we can give is the ‘Bhagidari Scheme’ adopted by the Delhi Government. In certain areas like electricity, water and transport it can have partnership with the private sector

Public policies coordinate efforts and activities of the governmental agencies at various levels with that of the market/the private sector, civil society groups, NGOs and contextual participant or elected local government bodies, self-help groups. In order to promote good governance public policy programs must be in harmony with all these institutions to enable the organization.

Both public policy and administration are affected by Globalization, The process of globalization not only includes opening up of world trade, development of advanced means of communication, internationalization of financial markets and services, growing importance of multinational corporations, population movements and, more generally, increased mobility of persons, goods, capital data and ideas, but also of infectious diseases and environmental problems like pollution.

Public policy enhances globalization. Globalization implies the opening of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers. However, it does not include unhindered movement of labor and, as suggested by some economists, may hurt smaller or fragile economies if applied indiscriminately, (Bhuiyan & Farazmand, 2020).

Public policy operate fully in Liberalization of the government activities a process of freeing the economy, from various Governmental regulations such as industrial licensing, controls on pricing and distribution of products and services, imports and exports and foreign exchange regulations; control of capital issues by companies; credit controls, restriction on investment, so that the development and operation of the economy is increasingly guided by freely operating market forces. This enhances the economic development of the country.

Public policy enhances a dynamic process that is a continuing activity taking place within a structure; for sustenance, it requires a continuing input of resources and motivation. These are dynamic process, which changes with time. The sequences of its sub-processes and phases vary internally and with respect to each other. Most of the government policies may change due to emergencies for environment challenges and financial crisis may make the government design policy to help in the management of government programmes , According to the New Vision  (10th August 2013), The landslide struck villages on the slopes of Mount Elgon, including Nameti, Kubewo, and Nankobe, with 85 homes being destroyed in Nameti. Many areas in the affected villages were buried by the landslides, with houses, markets, and a church destroyed; many roads were also blocked. Officials and aid workers have warned that there may be further landslides, as heavy rain continues to fall in the region.^, however during this period of the government designed various policies to help be in position to curb an emergency situation however in the process the government also establishes administrative policies to help in the management of an unexpected occurrence of a calamity, this therefore brings to light that public policy is dynamic and it is designed to enable the communities and the country at large be in position to overcome the challenges that they face.

Public policy is mainly formulated by Governmental Organs that is also directed in part, at private persons and non-governmental structures, as ‘when it calls for a law prohibiting a certain type of behavior or appeals to citizens to engage in private saving. But public policy, in most cases, is primarily directed at governmental organs, and only intermediately and secondarily at other factors. Both public administration and Public policy is the outcome of the government’s collective actions. It means that it is a pattern or course of activity or’ the governmental officials and actors in a collective sense than being termed as their discrete and segregated decisions. Some of the examples of the government formulated policies include the decisions taken by the military of a given country, the educational decisions of a give country and the Health decisions of a given country.

Public policy is designed for the good of the citizens of the country for example environmental policies of a given country, Actually the scope of public policy is determined by the kind of role that the State adopts for itself in a society. In the classical capitalist society, State was assigned a limited role and it was expected that the State would merely act as a regulator of social and economic activity and not its promoter. With the advent of planned view of development, State began to be perceived as an active agent in promoting and shaping societies in its various activities. This was considered as a great change in the role of a State. Public policies expanded their scope from merely one of regulation to that of development. Expansion in scope led to several other consequences like many more government agencies afld institutions came into being in order to formulate and implement policies. In India, the Planning Commission and its attendant agencies came into being in order to formulate policies and develop perspectives that could define the direction which the country would follow, So, the first major goal of public policies in acountry like india has been in the area of socio-economic development.

Public policy and administration Results in Action, Decision-making can result in action, in changes in the decision-making itself, or both or neither. The policies of most socially significant decision-making, such as most public policy making are intended to result in action. Also policies directed at the policy making apparatus itself such as efficiency drives in government are action oriented.

Conclusion

Public policy is what the government actually decides or chooses to do. It is the relationship of the government units to the specific field of political environment in a given administrative system. It can take a variety of forms like law, ordinances, court decisions, executive orders, decisions.

However in relation to service delivery Corruption in Uganda has hampered the government’s attempts to deliver quality service to the citizens of the country , this is because the country’s political elite swindle the government resources that could have otherwise have been used for national development hampering with the  government ability to deliver its commitment and ensure that it meets the needs of the citizens, however corruption does not fail the government efforts alone other factors like poverty in Uganda , were most parts of the country is poor which hampers the government’s efforts to deliver services to the people due to too much constrained expenditure of the government and lastly  Colonialism in Uganda also has an influence in the way the government designs its public policies and the way they are administered to the benefit of the citizens of a given country.

From the above discussion it should be clear that good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.

REFERENCES

Ali, M., 2015. Governance and Good Governance: A Conceptual Perspective.. Dialogue (Pakistan),, Volume 10(1)..

Bhuiyan, S. & Farazmand, A., 2020. Society and public policy in the Middle East and North Africa.. s.l.:s.n.

Cairney, P., 2019. Understanding public policy.. s.l.:Red Globe Press..

Hazelkom, E. & Gibson, A., 2019. Public goods and public policy: what is public good, and who and what decides?.. Higher Education,, Volume 78(2),, pp. pp.257-271..

House , F., 2011. Countries at the crossroads 2011: An analysis of democratic governance.. london: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers..

Pring, C. & Vrushi, J., 2019.. Global Corruption Barometer:. Transparency International., Issue Africa.

Rothstein, B., 2012. Good governance. In The Oxford handbook of governance.. Oxford hand book of governance.

Tijssen, R. & Erika, K.-m., 2018. Research excellence in Africa: Policies, perceptions, and performance.”. Science and Public Policy, pp. 45, no. 3.