Policy

Looking at the Society through Public Issues

CHAPTER 4

POLICY EVALUATION

DEFINING POLICY

Following rules and instructions are common occurrence in our daily lives. Written or unwritten rules that give directions to our actions are observed and properly maintained. People conform to these regulations to avoid conflicts and preserve order. This is true in a micro setting such as our own homes and in a macro level such as our country or in society.

For the government, policies are important to keep the country in harmony and peace. One may say that policies are laws or rules and regulations implemented by a certain authority. In the case of the country, it can be the laws, proclamations, memorandums and administrative order issued by the government.

To provide an extensive definition of policy, Birkland (2005) cited the description of Anne Schneider and Helen Ingram. It states that:

Policies are revealed through text, practices, symbols and discourses that define and deliver values including goods and services as well as regulations, income, status and other positively or negatively valued attributes.

He further explains this definition as:

Policies are not just contained in laws and regulations; once a law or rule is made, policies continue to be made as the people who implement policy – that is, those who put policies into effort – make decisions about who will benefit from policies and who will shoulder burdens as a result.

Source: Birkland, Thomas A. (2005). An Introduction to the Policy Process: Theories, Concepts, and Models of Public Policy Making 2nd edition. M.E. Sharpe, Inc.

PHILIPPINE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

In the Philippines, a law undergoes a certain process before it is passed. It can begin from an idea, an observation or a problem that arises in our daily situations. It is then conceptualized and formulated into a proposal. The legislative branch of the government is responsible for this task namely the House of...