The Role of Leadership in Policy Implementation: The Case of Selected Federal Public Institutions in Ethiopia

Abstract

Scholars believe that there is nothing more omnipresent than public policies in our daily lives, where we are directly or indirectly affected by policy decisions. This leads to the view that almost every aspect of our life is directly regulated through policy decisions, some of which we are often unaware of. Hence, nobody can escape the consequences of public policies wherever they live, in their own country, or elsewhere. In the implementation equation, the role of leadership is considered critical and irreplaceable. But more often than not, such role is either forgotten or mixed up with other stakeholders. The objective of this study is to find out the role of leadership in policy implementation in selected federal public institutions in Ethiopia and come up with possible way- forward suggestions for policymakers. The study used a descriptive-explanatory design with combined research approaches. The findings show that leadership role in policy implementation is decisive and incontestable, while their commitment is not found to the level expected; accountability for implementation deficit is either little or non-existent. Underlying causes were ascribed to lack of meritocracy in leadership recruitment and promotion, absence of spelt-out accountability code of conduct, continuous leadership turnover, and disempowerment of the bureaucracy by the political institution in place. In response, it is recommended that a continuous capacity building plan be executed to raise leaders’ knowledge, skills and commitment; apply a merit-based leadership assignment through performance-based evaluation; install accountability code of conduct in public institutions; maintain institutional memory and policy stability by reducing leadership turnover; and relax the decision power of the bureaucracy, particularly at policy implementation side of the scale.