Mami Mokgosi

27359557

Select a theory against which you will be analysing and assessing the
development of policy content specifically aimed at the elderly as vulnerable group in South Africa

 What is Methodology?

Methodology is the discussion of methods. This includes the theoretical ideas and research paper needs to achieve three things, though not necessarily in this order. Firstly, it should consider what the nature of academic work is more generally, and what this might mean for anyone who explores the topic at hand. Secondly, it needs to provide a literature review, discussing what methods researchers have traditionally used to study the kind of topic that the project focuses on. Thirdly, it should explain what methods this particular project uses and why. Methodological discussions are both theoretical and practical in nature. Methodology is also known as series of choices for example, choices about what information and data to gather, choices about how to analyse the information and data that you gather and other methodological choices (Schneider, 2014).

The nature of your question determines the method of analysis.

- Descriptive questions call for descriptive methods.

- Correlational questions call for you to make correlations.

- Theoretical evaluation calls for the evaluation of the entire theory.

- Cost-Benefit analysis of policies calls for you to find a method to conduct a cost/benefit analysis

Erdward, C. 2016. What’s methodology got to do with it? Public policy evaluations, observational analysis and RCT.

 

Mami Mokgosi

27359557

Explanations of types and kinds of public policy.

• 1. Distributive policy - This a brand of public policy that concerns itself with who gets what, when and how. When state or local government allocates grant for the purpose of solving public problems such as actions are distributive policies. Some benefits are distributed without taking them away from other people, for example, free education, emergency services projects, and provision of water or electricity. But this category of policy does not involve confrontation or dissent from beneficiaries. It rather brings the people closer to government and vice versa.
• 2. Re-distributive policy – Re-distributive involve transfer of resources of benefit from large group or classes of people to another segment of the society. This is done through position of taxes on advantages and used to assist the less privilege. The government collects tax through these means and redirects the fund to other areas of need. In, so the gain and loss outcomes take place because while some group, pay other groups benefit.
• 3. Regulatory policy – The history of government has always been linked to the desire of mankind to be secure through law and order. The essence of regulatory is to prescribe code of conduct in human relationship, especially in the private sector relation enterprises. This policy includes enactments to ensure that human relationship is conducted according to accepted norms.
• 4. Constituent policy – These are broad based policies that encompass all sectors of national life. They do not focus on individuals for benefit or punishment. They intended to favor the government and the public. Such policies as foreign policy and defense policies are examples. The special concern is on legislation affecting the structure and function of government as well as policies governing their operations.

PUBLIC POLICY CAPACITY

Policy capacity refers to the ability of the political system to decide or compromise on the best approach to technological and economic development, or to distinguish between what is 'desirable' and what is 'feasible' through the processes of policy debate. To a certain extent government needs to manage creative destruction.

PUBLIC POLICY PROCESSES

• 1. Problem Identification

Either public opinion or elite opinion expresses dissatisfaction with a status quo policy. The problem is defined and articulated by individuals and institutions such as mass media, interest groups, and parties.

• 2. Agenda Setting

The definition of alternatives is crucial to the policy process and outcomes. Before a policy can be formulated and adopted, the issue must compete for space on the agenda (list of items being actively considered). An idea must make it through several levels, including the broad political system agenda, the congressional and presidential agendas, and the bureaucratic agenda. Key actors in agenda setting include think tanks, interest groups, media, and government officials.

• 3. Policy Making

From the problems that have been identified and have made it onto the various agendas, policies must be formulated to address the problems. Those policy formulations then must be adopted (authorized) through the congressional process and refined through the bureaucratic process. Of course, a non-decision (inaction, or defeating a proposal) is, itself, policy making.

• 4. Budgeting

Each year, Congress must decide through the appropriations process how much money to spend on each policy. Generally, a policy must first be authorized (adopted) before money can be appropriated for it in the annual budget.

• 5. Implementation

Executive agencies (the bureaucracy) carry out, or implement, policy. Implementation could include adopting rules and regulations, providing services and products, public education campaigns, adjudication of disputes, etc.

• 6. Evaluation

Numerous actors evaluate the impact of policies, to see if they are solving the problems identified and accomplishing their goals. Evaluation looks at costs and benefits of policies as well as their indirect and unintended effects. Congress uses its oversight function and the General Accounting Office for evaluation, agencies evaluate their own performance, and outside evaluators include interest groups, think tanks, academia, and media. Evaluation frequently triggers identification of problems and a new round of agenda setting and policy making.

 

https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/ljones/gov3301/block6/objective5.htm

 

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/gov310/PEP/policy/

Mami Mokgosi

27359557

Public policy models

Model is a representation of a more complex reality that has been oversimplified in order to describe and explain the relationships among variables and sometimes prescribing how something should happen. models influencing public policies could be descriptive and prescriptive in nature. They further outline that the descriptive models analyse public policy making process while prescriptive models describe public policy options. The descriptive and prescriptive models are discussed below.

• 1. Descriptive models - models of public policies as capable of analyzing the public policy processes in terms of who is involved, how and why. Who is involved, how and why suggest the incorporation of the implementation process.  : the functional process model; the elite or mass model; the group model; the systems model; the institutional model; the political systems model; the social interaction model and the rationale-choice model.

• FUNCTIONAL PROCESS MODEL, the functional process model suggests a serious consideration of effective generation of other public policy process alternatives, which can be achieved through active grassroots participation during the public policy process. This model focuses on the functional activities involved in the policy making process and is concerned with the “how” aspect of policy making.
• ELITE / MASS MODEL, the Elite/Mass model advocates for a stratified society comprising on one hand the elites who are regarded as well-educated and influential, and the less influential masses on the other.
• GROUP MODEL, public policy may derive from interest groups who continuously interact with policy makers to influence the policy making process. In seeking to define this model, some policies may be made by judges in consultation with other groups but only to discover that the President has great influence over what policy areas are given attention. This implies that a monopoly of influence over some polices areas can be perpetuated by this model during public policy formulation.
• SYSTEMS MODEL, the Systems model is a response by the political system to the goals, problems, needs, wants and demands of society compromising both individuals and interest groups. They further elaborate that this model allows for debates, proposals, counterproposals, adaptations, consensus on public policy, review of implementation and feedback. When political context influences public policy, the Systems model assumes the view that demands and support (inputs) enter and filter through a government system into the public policy process.
• INSTITUTIONAL MODEL, public sector institutions are integral to the public policy making process. Inherently, they influence the public policies and their implementation. The Institutional model is premised on the basis that public policy is the product of public institutions, whose structures are responsible for public policy implementation. This, therefore, highlights the dependency factor of public policy to Institutional model.
• SOCIAL INTERACTION MODEL, this model emerged almost eighty years ago and forms a strong foundation today for social-interaction induced public policies. The Social Interaction model as a tool through which social relationships are systematically approached, modelled and channeled in a way that allows composition of rules derived from social exchanges. From the perspective of what transpired in evolution of new political dispensation, the Social Interaction model encourages participation, negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution for public policy processes.
• RATIONAL – CHOICE MODEL, This model is based on the view that individuals are seen to be motivated by the wants or goals that express their preferences. The Rational-Choice model, public policy makers pursue their own self-interest instead of national-interest. Therefore, the rational-choice model implies that individuals must anticipate the outcomes of alternative courses of action and calculate that which will be best for them. Hence it is an egocentric (self-centered) approach to the PPI process.

• 2. Prescriptive models - prescriptive models influence decision making on public policies to be pursued after determining public policy impact and eliminating negative consequences before, during or after the PPI. The models discussed below are: rational – comprehensive model,  incremental model; mixed – scanning model; garbage can model; and satisficing model.

• RATIONAL – COMPREHENSIVE MODEL, the rational-comprehensive model enables policy makers to have a full range of options from which to choose regarding public policies to be pursued. Implicitly, the rational comprehensive model advocates for multi-considerations that underlie and guide policy makers on public policy formulation choices.
• INCREMENTAL MODEL, the incremental model is a reaction to the rational comprehensive model and is a continuation of existing government activities with the potential for small, incremental adoptions. The proponents of this model present the following reasons in supporting the model, namely:

>That incremental change is more expeditious than comprehensive change;

>That the potential for conflict is considerably lower than with radical changes since there are limited public policy alternatives available in incremental fashion; and

> That incremental adaptation contributes to a redefinition of public policy on a continuous basis.

           -   GARBAGE – CAN MODEL (GCM), The Garbage-Can model (GCM) is another                     prescriptive model in the public policy process. GCM as a model that rejects conventional policy cycle models which envisage the policy development process as rational and underpinned by the logic of problem solving. Describe GCM as where, over time, policy ideas, problems and possible alternatives are dumped together, resulting in a complex combination of problems and solutions, in a quest to identify and link preferred solutions to problems.

            - SATISFICING MODEL, the satisficing model is based on an alternative that provides satisfactory and sufficient public policy solutions to problems. They further outline that the satisficing model is characterized by:

>bounded rationality, whereby public policy decisions are limited to elementary understanding of the problem rather than allowing liberal thinking that can present complex alternative solutions; and

> Incrementalism whereby the public policy makers are inclined to consider only those alternatives that differ in a relatively small degree from the choice currently in effect.

              - MIXED – SCANNING MODEL, Making a decision on public policy to be formulated may appeal to the application of more than one model. Inevitably, the model required the public policy process should be flexible in order to accommodate what is relevant to the public policy. The mixed-scanning model offers such flexibility and multi – alternative approach. The mixed – scanning model integrates the good characteristics of the rational comprehensive model with those of the incremental model by:

> reviewing the overall public policy;

> concentrating on specific needs for public policy; and

> focusing on public policy results or public policy impact.

 

Mthethwa, B., S., V. 2014. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF PUBLIC POLICY. http://dspace.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/12252/Mthethwa_BVS_Chapter_2.pdf Access Date 25/Apr/ 2018. 

Mami Mokgosi 27359557

Challenges faced by both municipalities Tlokwe and Ventersdorp

The Ventersdorp municipality is unable to perform its constitutional obligations. The Ventersdorp Municipality is face with the challenge of bankruptcy, hence they were said to become the JB Marks Municipality.

Tlokwe municipality has a deteriorating and unmaintained electricity infrastructure.

Opposing for Tlokwe and Ventersdorp merger is widespread (DA)

The opposition to the merger of Tlokwe and Ventersdorp municipalities is widespread across political parties, civil society and community groups.

-Thousands of independent community members were part of a violent protest against the proposal recently and took to the streets of Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp. It is sad that the communities have to turn to such extreme measures to get attention of government on issues affecting their lives.

-The Democratic Alliance has also opposed the merge, saying it would disadvantage tax payers in Tlokwe.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides for the establishment of municipalities. Section 52 sets out the objectives of local government as follows:

• Ensure provision  of services to communities in a sustainable manner
• Promote social and economic development

A municipality must strive, within its financial and administrative capacity, to achieve the objects set out in the above mentioned.

Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003

Further requirements for performance management are outlined. It stipulates that PMS must be developed and implemented to enable the monitoring and review of performance in a municipality. Such a system must make provision for community involvement, key performance indicators, the audit of performance measurement and annual performance reports.

Integrated Development Plan

The Integrated Development Planning is a process through which the municipalities prepare a strategic development plan. Chapter 5 of the Municipal System Act No.32 of 2000 requires that the Local Government structures prepare Integrated Development Plans to serve as a tool for the facilitation and management of development in their respective area of jurisdiction.

IDP Guidelines summarized the purpose of the Integrated Development Planning Process as follows:

-To eradicate the development legacy of the past

-A mechanism to restructure our cities, towns and rural areas,

-A mechanism to promote social equality,

-A weapon in the fight against poverty, and

-A catalyst in the creation of wealth

COMPONENTS OF SERVICE DELIVERY AND BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION

PLAN

1. Monthly projections of revenue to be collected for each source

2. Monthly projections of expenditure (operating and capital) and revenue for each vote

3. Quarterly projections of service delivery targets and performance indicators for each vote

4. Ward information for expenditure and service delivery

Bardach’s eightfold path

To what is called more effective problem solving. This simple process is logical and effective and provides a practical approach to better policy results. There are eight steps which are:

• Define the problem
• Assemble some evidence
• Construct the alternatives
• Select the criteria
• Project the outcomes
• Confront the trade-offs
• Decide
• Tell your story

This simple process is logical and effective, and provides a practical approach to better policy results.

 Myburg D, 2015. Opposition for Tlokwe and Ventersdorp merger is widespred. https://www.dample.co.za/2015/10/opposition-for-tlokwe-and-ventersdorp-merger-is-widespread/

 

 

MAMI MOKGOSI

27359557

The difference between an act and a policy.

-Policy is defined as a statement of intent or an action plan to transform a perceived problem into a future solution. A policy outlines what a government ministry hopes to achieve as well as methods and principles it will use to achieve them. An Act is defined as a piece of legislation where it’s the base for forming a law.

Factual difference between an act and a policy.

-A policy is a document that outlines what a government is going to do and what it can achieve for the society as a whole. It also outlines any and all methods and principles that the government or any entity, for that matter, will use to achieve its directive. A policy is not a law, however, it can often identify new laws that are needed by the government to achieve its goals. Acts can be classified as two things: a document that records a fact, something said or something done. It can also be known as a law or statue that has been enacted by the government. Acts are basically rules that have noted down a piece of paper.

What I thought were the difference between an act and a policy.

-An act is a legislative process. To make an act there is a procedure mentioned in the constitution. A policy is the viewpoint or a plan, which may or may not involve specific legislation.

M. Mokgosi