Translating Policy into Action Tools for Policy Design and Implementation

1. Translating Policy into Action Tools for Policy Design and Implementation

2. Introductions On the A4 sheet provided complete the following phrases: • Name you want to be called • I am ___ • I am passionate about ____ • My greatest professional success was _____ • In this workshop I hope to learn ____

3. Housekeeping • Be considerate of others – do not use mobile phones, check your e-mail, send text messages, engage in side conversations • During discussions your comments are encouraged but be brief and do not dominate the conversations • Other than to clarify a point avoid questions during a presentation – they eat up time • Avoid acronyms

4. Logistics • Location washrooms • Computers in back are attached to Internet • Lunch & dinner – bar or cafeteria are open

5. The role of this course in the UNSSC Curriculum • Donor demands for results • Series of courses developed • Measurement – Gathering and producing relevant data • Evaluation –Designing studies to demonstrate what a program has achieved • This course – Implementing a policy process which should lead to effective programs

6. THEMES IN PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENTS When you read the pre-course assignments did any themes stand out? What were they?

7. Workshop Assumptions Sound policy evolves from a process that • Facilitates critical thinking • Engages stakeholder • Responds to changes in the environment • Acquires and reacts to new information Existing tools can improve implementation by • Establishing feasible goals • Assessing & responding to policy environment • Assessing administrative unit’s capacity • Identifying needed resources & effective activities • Developing a monitoring system

8. Planning & Evaluation Tools Covered in This Workshop I • Why chosen • Generic tools that can be adapted according to context, including stage in the policy process • Organize ideas so they can be easily communicated and elicit feedback • Tools covered • Writing objectives • Conducting an environmental scan • Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats (SWOT) • Building a logic model

9. Planning & Evaluation Tools Covered in This Workshop II • Roles in the policy process • Designing policy • Setting feasible goals • Soliciting stakeholder feedback & buy in • Implementing policy • Identifying needs • Locating administrative responsibility • Selecting partners • Monitoring and evaluating • Identifying problems and addressing them • Providing evidence of effectiveness

10. Defining Policy (1) • No commonly accepted definition • Management Policy: Organization’s principles & guidelines to direct its actions in pursuit of its long-term goals • Public Policy: A course of action taken by a government or governmental body to address a public problem

11. Defining Policy (2) • Deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome(s). • May apply to government, other (non-government) organizations and groups, and individuals. • Policies • Indicate what will be done • Are formally adopted by a responsible unit • Are focused on desired outcome(s)

12. Policy in the UN

13. Writing Objectives and Setting Preliminary Targets • What an objective is & what it contains • Why start policy design with objectives • Setting targets

14. Defining Objectives • A statement specifying the desired outcome that includes a • Measurable target • Time frame • Target population/area that will be affected • Direction for the intended outcome (the intended result)

15. Stating objectives lets policy makers Identify where they are going Know when they get there Clarify a policy’s intent, meaning, and strategy Engage stakeholders in policy discussions Objectives takes shape as the problem, stakeholder issues, and the political environment are better understood The Role of Objectives

16. Examples of Objectives • Sample Objectives • Within 5 years City X will increase the number of low income families in standard housing • Within 5 years State X will reduce pregnancies among girls <17 years old • Reduce pesticide use within Country X within the next 5 years • Note: • Each was generated after a policy, i.e., for each objective a deliberate plan of action, was decided • Each has time frame, measurable, target, target population/area, direction

17. Exercise 1: Assessing a proposed objective • Proposed objective: Increase longevity by assuring that HIV/AIDS patients have daily supply of safe drinking water • Assess this objective • What elements are present? • What elements are missing? • Make up [hypothetical] information and write a “better” objective

18. Example: From goal to objective • Goal: Promote gender equality & empower women • Policies may be directed toward • Education • Reproductive health • Family law • Political participation of women • Labor force participation of women

19. Example Cont’d • Assume policy to address education • Which girls: all girls, impoverished girls, rural girls? • Primary school? Secondary school? Both • Possible objectives (measurable target) • Girls as likely as boys to be in-school (enrolled, attend) • Girls as likely as boys to succeed (skill assessment) • Education for girls receives the same resources (teacher quality, facilities, etc.) as for boys

20. Small Group Exercise 2: Selecting Objectives You want to design an educational policy to empower women. On a sheet of poster paper indicate: • Your target group • An objective (outcome) for your policy • Another objective to capture another dimension

21. Desired Characteristics of Objectives: SMART • Specific: Outcomes include change language • Measurable: Allows assessment if outcome was achieved (should be monitorable) • Adequate: Within organization(s) capacity • Relevant: Appropriate to subject at hand (advances mission) • Time Bound: Expected date of accomplishment • Should include more than one objective • Captures different dimensions • May reduce goal displacement • Example: schools increase enrollment but at the expense of educational quality • Too many may become overwhelming

22. Debriefing • Use the SMART criteria and review the assigned posters • Discuss: • Your opinion about the value of applying the SMART criteria • What lessons did you draw from writing the objectives and reviewing them?

23. Amount to be achieved [change from baseline] may be expressed as a Number: Place 5,200 families in housing Rate: Reduce pregnancy to <51per1000 girls Percent change: Reduce pesticide use by 30% Average: Reduce median distance to potable water to 50 meters Types of Quantitative Target

24. Examples of Objectives with Estimated Targets • Within 5 years City X will place 5,200 low income families in standard housing • Within 5 years State X will reduce pregnancies among girls <17 years old to < 51 per 1,000 girls < 17 years old • Reduce pesticide use within Country X by 30 per cent within the next 5 years Note: each objective is associated with a policy, i.e. a deliberate plan of action

25. Discussion: Thinking about Quantitative Targets • What do you see as the advantages of setting quantitative targets? • What do you see as the disadvantages of setting quantitative targets? • When do vague quantitative targets seem appropriate? • When do specific quantitative targets seem appropriate?

26. Setting quantitative targets • Start with tentative targets that help you think through what can be accomplished • Recall objectives involve change, therefore we need to know what currently exists • Using existing data • Official statistics may be preferred because we assume better quality • Make sure that you understand what a statistic represents. Should have documentation that indicates • How they were collected • From whom • How critical terms were defined

27. Small group exercise 3: Applying what you learned • Give your group a name – you will work together on tasks today, tomorrow, and Thursday • For your scenario • Write a sentence indicating the policies or actions expected to result in the desired change • State up to 3 possible objective(s) • Identify preliminary targets • Identify the resources that will be needed • Note what specific information you need before setting a specific quantitative target • Based on this exercise create and post a list of “lessons learned about stating objectives & setting targets”

28. Exercise 3 Debriefing • Each group • Presents its general policy and objectives with targets and resources needed • Answers questions • What you still need to do and find out • Engage stakeholders in discussions • Identify the problem – why it exists: • Identify potential solutions • Amount of change can you can expect after the policy is implemented? • What have been the patterns of performance? If applicable, what does the research say? • What kind of financing is needed? Available? • What about other resources, including community support?

29. Writing Objectives & UN Practice • Observations on the lessons learned • How writing objectives could improve UN practice

30. Preparing for 5 July Class:Getting Ready to Plan • Selecting stakeholders to • Flesh out objectives and targets • Suggest policies to achieve objectives • Identify environmental factors that will facilitate or impede the policy • Identifying stakeholders to involve • Those affected by policy (winners & losers) • Influentials who can affect its adoption or implementation • Those considered “voiceless”

31. Tomorrow’s Reading • Before afternoon meeting read Youker article (copies are available at the back of the room) • In class wewill use Table 1, p 13 in “Environmental Scanning” (Thinking Futures). Note, book was included as a resource if you want to implement an environmental scanning process