The Impact of Power and Power Relationships in the Public Policy Formulation Process: A Case Study of the Formulation Process of 2014 Tanzania’s Education and Training Policy

Vivian Christopher Kapilima

doi:10.1515/openps-2020-0020

Abstract

AbstractPower struggle among stakeholders in public policy formulation process is a common phenomenon in a state informed by democratic politics. The extent of its gravity could have positive or negative implication in policy legitimacy, ownership, and implementation processes. The formulation process of Tanzania’s Education and Training Policy (ETP) of 2014 saw a substantial varied set of competing stakeholders. Each set of actors exerted a different amount of power, which subsequently impacted the policy process. Empirical data revealed that the process was dominated by government officials and few prominent as well as powerful Community-Based Organizations. Recommendations from such categories of stakeholders were likely to be included in the policy document, unlike those from the powerless, non-famous, and ordinary citizens. Besides, scarcity of resources and persuasion through arguments, which enter the category of politics of policy making process, coupled with opposing values and interests of policy actors were the main factors that determined powers over decision making. Therefore, this article suggests that a big enough budget should be provided to the entire policy formulation process, and a need to put, in place, effective power balancing mechanisms with a view to widen and deepen the level of stakeholders’ participation in policy formulation process.

Highlights

1.1 Background InformationThere have been long-standing philosophical traditions relating to the concept of power since the time of Plato, Aristle and Hobbes, to name but a few
The fact that in social sciences, power is a socially constructed phenomenon, the research approach was helpful in understanding the social context involved the exercise of power in formulating the 2014 Tanzania’s Education and Training Policy (ETP)
This section presents results and discussions. It starts with mapping potential stakeholders who were involved in formulating the 2014 Tanzania’s Education and Training Policy, followed by stakeholders who dominated the policy formulation process and impacts, factors that determined exercise of power as well as the power locus during the policy formulation process

Summary

Introduction

There have been long-standing philosophical traditions relating to the concept of power since the time of Plato, Aristle and Hobbes, to name but a few. Power plays a central role in human social life, and it is the great determinant of every human being’s action. Given this important role, issues of power and power relations should not be overlooked or isolated from the task of analyzing the public policy formulation process, the process, which is contentious by nature, as it involves a wide set

Objectives

Methods

Results