Policy Implementation Research Research Articles

Policy Implementation Research on the Voucher Focusing on Choice and Competition: A Case Study on Mentoring Service

Policy Implementation Research on the Voucher Focusing on Choice and Competition: A Case Study on Mentoring Service

Dilemmas of implementation: EU democracy assistance in the Mediterranean

The article shows how and why, after having agreed upon a programme for democracy assistance under the name of European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the EU fell short of its original objectives in programme implementation. This is demonstrated by close analysis of microprojects in Mediterranean countries. The scope of EU action shrank as priorities for action were defined and projects approved. As a consequence, the EU has promoted democracy less than human rights, in relatively less demanding countries, and without spending all the budgeted money. This article shows how these findings are consistent with important themes in Policy analysis and implementation research, and thus supplements other explanations of EU shortcomings. EU democracy assistance, as represented by the EIDHR, is an ambiguous and contested policy, which also suffers from an institutional setting characterized by a long chain of command. This means that there are opportunities for small decisions to gradually shift the focus and downsize the relevance of the policy initiative. The EU is thus unintentionally undermining its own policy goals, as the large number of actors interpret the EU's best interest (and their own position in relation to it) in various and divergent ways.

Public Attitudes Toward People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Cross-Cultural Study

This study investigated attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities among the general Hong Kong Chinese population and compared these to a White British sample, using the Community Living Attitudes Scale-Mental Retardation form (CLAS-MR; D. Henry, C. Keys, F. Balcazar, & D. Jopp, 1996 ). As predicted, attitudes among the Hong Kong Chinese public (n = 149) were less favorable than the British sample (n = 135). The former were less opposed to the exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, less likely to view them as similar to themselves and more in favor of sheltering such individuals. Of all demographic variables examined, ethnicity was the strongest predictor of attitudes, although it only accounted for a small part of the variance in attitudes. The results are discussed in terms of policy implementation and additional research.

Lot-sizing decisions under limited-time price incentives: A review

The problem of determining the optimal order quantities for an inventoried item, when the vendor offers a limited-time price reduction is both interesting and important. It is interesting in that it has received continued attention of academic researchers for over four decades and it is important given its economic implication in a variety of practical settings. The extensive literature on this problem represents a fascinating confluence of: (1) economic significance and relevance to managerial practice, (2) continuing academic research interest directed at precise mathematical analysis leading to the development of rigorous and complex models and policies, and (3) elegance and adequacy of simple models and heuristic policies which are validated by the results of rigorous models and computational analysis. In this paper, we survey this literature using simple classification frameworks and then review some of the key studies. We highlight their key assumptions and findings, bring across key implications for policy implementation and academic research and identify avenues for further research.

Policy Alienation of Public Professionals

Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation.

Policy as Boundary Object: A New Way to Look at Educational Policy Design and Implementation

Policy implementation research in general and educational policy in particular is loosely connected to policy-making processes. There is a gap particularly in the field of vocational education. This often leads to conflicts and contradictions between policy-maker objectives and end-user implementation. To avoid such a disconnect, the relation between the world of end users and the world of decision-makers should be carefully constructed. This might be done through connecting the process of decision-making to implementation and carefully developing methods that encompass the demands of decision-makers and the needs and informational requirements of end users. Our intensive case study research on the process of a vocational education reform in the marine sector confirms that the lack of robust connection and active engagement of implementers as the end-users in the design of the policy created challenges for its implementation. Using a theoretical framework based on the notion of boundary objects we bring an alternative to current practice by creating the potential to illuminate and remove tensions and challenges for policy implementation. From there we infer that adopting this concept for policy design may prevent such conflicts and contradictions and result in successful implementation.

Tidelands Management: Implementation of the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act

The Massachusetts Waterways Regulation Program (WRP) regulates the use of tidelands throughout the state's 1500 miles of coastline. The main goals of the program are the protection of public access and the promotion of water-dependent uses on tidelands. Although many states throughout the USA have similar regulations, the Massachusetts program is the oldest and one of the most developed. Despite its essential purpose, the long history of its enabling statute and extensive regulations, the WRP faces some obstacles, including an implementation deficit. Evolutionary and functional problems impact its effectiveness and are aggravated by the need to maintain costly compliance and enforcement efforts in the face of limited fiscal resources. This paper summarizes a research effort aimed at characterizing current challenges. The framework for discussion of the WRP challenges and case analysis draws on policy development studies and implementation research. Ways to strengthen the program are outlined that could benefit tidelands management programs with similar challenges.

Implementation of Diversity Management Programs in Public Organizations: Lessons from Policy Implementation Research

The U.S. workforce is becoming more diverse, particularly in the public sector. As a result, a number of public-sector employers have initiated diversity management programs aimed to assist different types of employees in their needs at work. While much of the public administration literature has focused on these programs and what makes them work, it has largely ignored a cognate area of study that has much to say about the success of such programs: the policy implementation literature. This article uses policy implementation research to develop five guidelines for public managers who wish to develop a successful diversity management initiative.

A Theoretical Analysis of Alcohol Regulation and Drinking-Related Economic Crime

Alcohol consumption is widely believed to influence criminal activity, and numerous sociological, criminological, and psychological studies demonstrate an apparent positive correlation between drinking and crime. Using a multiattribute model of offender and victim behavior, this study examines the theoretical effects of changes in the price of alcohol on the incidence of crimes committed for economic gain. It is shown that in the general case price effects do not result in an unambiguous decrease in the rates of crime or victimization even when the models are constructed to impose a bias towards the finding of a causal negative price effect. Using a modified model of the drinking offender that imposes even further structure on the model, it is shown that the realization and magnitude of a negative equilibrium alcohol price effect will likely depend upon the implementation of complementary alcohol control policies. The implications of the theoretical analysis to policy implementation and empirical research are also considered.

The Theory–Practice Issue in Policy Implementation Research

Applying implementation theory to practice has been rare. Reasons include the difficulty of the theoretical challenge, the varied needs of practitioners and the complicating normative issues at stake. Nonetheless, several approaches can contribute to the efficacy of implementation action. Building on points of theoretical consensus is one strategy. A second is the systematic probing of points in theoretical dispute, to sketch out practical implications. A third is the development of a contingency perspective to determine which theoretical strands may be appropriate in a given case. Finally, tapping the emerging ideas built on a synthesis of partial perspectives is ultimately likely to be the most useful approach. New methodological tools can help select out valid high‐performing instances for systematic inspection and possible emulation. And some of the synthetic perspectives now available are amenable to heuristic application; these include approaches based upon reversible logic, game‐theoretic notions and contextual interaction theory.

A Theoretical Analysis of Alcohol Regulation and Drinking-Related Economic Crime

Alcohol consumption is widely believed to influence criminal activity, and numerous sociological, criminological, and psychological studies demonstrate an apparent positive correlation between drinking and crime. Using a multiattribute model of offender and victim behavior, this study examines the theoretical effects of changes in the price of alcohol on the incidence of crimes committed for economic gain. It is shown that in the general case price effects do not result in an unambiguous decrease in the rates of crime or victimization even when the models are constructed to impose a bias towards the finding of a causal negative price effect. Using a modified model of the drinking offender that imposes even further structure on the model, it is shown that the realization and magnitude of a negative equilibrium alcohol price effect will likely depend upon the implementation of complementary alcohol control policies. The implications of the theoretical analysis to policy implementation and empirical research are also considered.

Health promotion research and the diffusion and institutionalization of interventions.

To examine the extent to which health promotion research is providing an empirical basis for the diffusion and institutionalization of effective interventions, we conducted a systematic audit of all articles in 12 public health and health promotion journals for the 1994 calendar year. We identified empirical/non-empirical and health promotion/non-health promotion articles. For each study, the health behaviours or outcomes studied, the target group, gender and setting were categorized. Each study was also categorized as belonging to one of four stages: basic research and development, innovation development, diffusion research, and research into institutionalization or policy implementation. Of all articles coded (n = 1210), 33.9% were identified as non-research, 39.5% were health promotion research and 26.6% were non-health promotion research. The vast majority of studies fell within the basic research and development stage (89.6%), with less than 1% categorized as diffusion research and only 5% as institutionalization or policy implementation research. The published studies reviewed provide a limited empirical basis for diffusion and institutionalization of health promotion programs. These findings suggest a need to more systematically monitor research input (funding) and research output (publications), and to develop a more explicit focus on the relevance of the stages of research innovation and development, the issues and/or behaviours addressed, the target population, and the research setting.

Metropolitan Health Policy Development: Barriers to Implementation

The complex health issues facing urban areas require effective public policy responses. Consistent with the call by the Institute of Medicine for local health policy development, a variety of groups within metropolitan areas have engaged in these efforts. This paper provides an exploratory analysis of a cross section of 25 health policy initiatives undertaken in Chicago from 1987 through 1994. Characteristics of these initiatives, their recommendations, and factors which served as barriers to implementation are identified. The barriers include: deficiencies in policy design, inadequate political support, organizational barriers, and resource constraints. Our findings are compared to other policy implementation research. Suggestions for improving the effectiveness of local policy development include: involving key individuals from the public and private sectors, maintaining a strategic perspective on achieving priority recommendations, including financial analysis and planning, developing an initial implementation plan, and securing political support.