(2) THE POLICY CYCLE:

Macro advocacy and micro advocacy must both be done. Macro advocacy (policy work) is powerful, but it's slow, so we need to be doing micro advocacy.

POLICY DEFINITION - A course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government party, business or individual.
(Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary)

PUBLIC POLICY TYPES:

  • Economic policy
  • Social policy
  • Environmental policy
  • Citizenship policy

ECONOMIC POLICY:
Focuses on production issues and wealth creation

  • Inflation
  • International trade
  • Growth
  • Unemployment

SOCIAL POLICY:
Focuses on distribution issues, Distribution of wealth

  • Education
  • Health
  • Welfare
  • Unemployment services

This is the type of policy that social workers are expected to carry out/change.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:
Focuses on consumption issues and consumption of wealth

  • Waste management
  • Pollution
  • Heritage Protection

CITIZENSHIP:
Focuses on identity issues and how we define ourselves

  • Immigration
  • Border protection
  • Human rights

Ideology translates into public policy

It is a process of authoritative allocation of material resources and human resources according to certain theories and their underpinning values for the purpose of achieving certain social, economic, cultural and political outcomes in society. (Jamrozik, 2009, p.49)

It is the practice/activities undertaken by social workers as an integral part of their professional activity in diverse fields and types of practice, that focus on the formulation and implementation of new policies, as well as on existing policies and suggested change in them.


These activities seek to further policies on the organisation, local, national and international levels that are in accord with social work values.


(Weiss-Gal and Gal, 2011, p.12)

POLICY PRACTICE WITHIN GOV / OUTSIDE GOV:

  • There is a difference between policy work within government and outside of government.
  • Usually within gov, the ability to advocate is quite narrow, but you have more direct access to those in power. Working outside the gov is the opposite, your ability to advocate is great but you have less access to those in power.

Similar skills for both:

  • Assessment and analysis (what is happening in society that needs attention/advocacy)
  • Policy development and implementation (understanding suitable solutions)
  • Policy advocacy (how to get the policies changed)

POLICY PRACTICE WITHIN GOV:

  • Government departments
  • Central agencies of gov (department of Prime minister and cabinet, the treasury.
  • Local, state, federal gov
  • International gov

POLICY PRACTICE OUTSIDE GOV:
-

SAMPLE DIMENSIONS OF POLICY PRACTICE: AASW
AASW has four main approaches:

  1. Policy submissions to inquiries and consultations
  2. Meeting with ministers and representation
  3. Media
  4. Direct action

APPLICATION OF GENERALIST SW PRACTICE SKILLS TO POLICY PRACTICE:
This is what sets apart social workers in policy work from non social workers


Engagement skills:

  • Foster relationships with actors in policy settings including legislators, state agency policy analysts, lobbyists, and representatives of constituent groups.

Assessment skills:

  • Understand problems, analyse proposed solutions for their appropriateness of fit, and develop an implementation plan that takes into account all circumstances for the people involved.

Communication skills:

  • Communicate with a variety of groups. There are times when confrontation is important.
  • Policy practitioners need high level writing skills.

Problem-solving and negotiating skills:

  • Generating alternative options for new directions and new actions to take

Networking and collaborating skills:

  • No one does this alone.

THE CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT:
Neoliberalism is the dominant ideology/discourse of our time that is translating into policy.


It incorporates the following assumptions:

  • “the pursuit of individual profit also provides the best mechanism for the pursuit of common good”
  • Maximum individual freedom, minimum government interference (role of welfare?)
  • Increasing the wealth of some will increase the wealth of all (on average) - “trickle down” economics
  • Competition creates efficiencies and cost savings

It is embraced by several major countries and translates into a strategy of:

  • Lowering taxes ('more in your pocket to invest')
  • Small government (privatisation of services)
  • 'Freeing up' enterprise through deregulation
  • Transfer of responsibility/debt to individuals

AUSTRALIAN POLICY CYCLE MODEL: Bridgman and David 2004


  • This model is the most widely accepted and discussed. It was developed by two very senior scholars
  • It recognises policy creation as dynamic and ongoing process
  • It can be used to understand policy development, brining a system and rhythm to a world that is chaotic
  • Policy stages are not as clear cut as the model suggests. New policies develop in context of already existing policies. Other policies may act as obstacles to the adoption of a particular measure.

Cycle = Identify issues> Policy analysis> Policy instruments> Consultation > Coordination> Decision> implementation> Evaluation>

THERE IS NO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR MAKING POLICY:

  • Some policy-making occurs through an exhaustive process of democratic consultation
  • Some gets made through a narrow process of bargaining between dominant interests
  • Some gets made bureaucratically
  • Some emerges as a political or electoral gamble
  • Some policy making begins as an elite exercise conducted behind closed doors, but is forced out into the open by the mobilisation of other interests.
  • Still other policies may be made through a combination of these factors

But there are ‘rules of the game’ and a general process…
(Fenna 2004, p. 16)

POLICY CYCLE: A simplified approach


1. Agenda setting - problem solving and issue selection (by society and govt)
2. Policy formulation and decision making - how are you going to address the issue (executive and legislative)
3. Implementation - administrative


Go to ppt to see more info on these steps *