Introduction
As a unique phenomenon of a functioning and self-aware human society, public policy has existed since the first ancient states, such as the Sumerian and Egyptian kingdoms. According to Kraft and Furlong (2019), “public policy is what public officials within the government, and by extension, the citizens they represent, choose to do or not to do about public problems” (p. 5). Government representatives and other concerned parties address these internal or external issues through the policymaking process. One of the traditional structural approaches to the policy process is the stages model with five key steps. This short paper will analyze each element of the stages model and discuss the effectiveness of this standardized approach.
Agenda-Setting and Policy Formulation
The first two initial stages are agenda-setting and policy formulation. During the first one, policymakers identify, examine, and choose the most pressing social problems and propose various solution strategies. This stage is divided into four sub-processes, which professionals refer to as Systemic, Institutional, Discretionary, and Decision Agendas (Kraft & Furlong, 2019). One can say that this process is an overview of the current social climate within the country and all its mechanisms. The second step is policy formulation, where politicians develop feasible and practical policy options and evaluate them based on established ethical standards, personal morals, and political affiliation. This stage includes the majority of the discussions between political parties within the policy process. Policy formulation is both a dispute and a brainstorming.
Final Adoption, Implementation, and Assessment
The next three steps are decision-making, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. Newly developed solutions are reviewed and evaluated by the most competent policymakers. They usually choose a feasible, inclusive, and equal option to have the expected effect on all relevant social strata. The third step is probably the most crucial one, as the wrong choice of political course harms not only the general public but also both the legislative and executive branches. The implementation of the chosen political strategy comes after the final decision (Kraft & Furlong, 2019). It is where theory turns into practice, and much of the responsibility for the future policy impact shifts from legislators to administrators. Evaluation is the last stage in the policy process and is carried out by government authorities and the general public. During this period, policymakers analyze the socio-economic impact of the chosen course and make corrections and changes based on available sociological data and social reactions. It is worth noting that the world has not seen a single political initiative without any subsequent revisions.
About the Flexibility
After examining the policy elements of the process, I can say that I agree that the current system is not responsive to set precedents and external events. However, it is the existing set routine that provides the necessary flexibility and cooperation to the government apparatus. Each of the stages within the discussed model allows for a plurality of opinions and various political options. Therefore, there is no need for a political process based on a precedential basis.
References
Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2019). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives (7th ed.). SAGE Publications.