Enhancing Public Participation in Policy Making Assignment Sample

Introduction

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Public policy is called a decided set of elements or even called an institutionalized proposal which consists of laws, rules, guidelines, and actions. It helps in solving issues related to the public and government. It addresses the problem of the real world which occurs because of some unethical means like corruption and disobedience. The implementation process of public policy is called public administration. The argument that public participation is required in making good public policies is contradictory. Some believe that it is essential whereas some do not. The concept of public participation involves stakeholders' engagement in issues based on public policies. In this report, the focus is on public involvement and its usage in making policies. The paper discusses the core issues, the position of the public in decision-making and what conclusion is drawn by analyzing all the papers and articles set on arguments. The arguments on public participation in general.

Core Issues

According to Strasser, et al., (2019), making meaningful decisions which are based on public needs and desire public participation is important. The policymakers have to keep in mind the demands and desires of the citizens and should implement policies according to them. Hence, public participation is the important and appropriate mechanism for conveying information to the public so that they all can be engaged in policy-making operations.

According to Salami et al., (2019), the core issue in public participation and policy-making is that it is costly. It is an internal issue which says that there are inadequate financial and human resources and without these resources, decisions cannot be taken. A lot of money is required to involve the public in decision-making. It is time-consuming and requires a lot of energy to demonstrate the idea to the public. Engagement of the public in the planning process is costly and time-consuming because the policymakers have to depend on the public and have to work according to them. Listening to public thoughts and ideas becomes difficult for policymakers. The policymakers are already engaged in a lot of work and it becomes very hard for them to listen and work according to the desires of the citizens. Funds are required to arrange meetings and seminars, and enough staff is needed to check the requirements. To do all these sitting arrangements and food preparation money is required and it becomes challenging.

According to Rose (2020), a lack of skilled facility providers is an issue in public participation. The policymakers are not good at arranging things on time they need a team of facilitators and providers which provides them with all the necessary items that are required in public engagement and gathering. The facilitators will facilitate the whole planning and process in order to make the vent run smoothly and grab better results. Skilled participators are required to plan the event and there is a delay in finding such skilled people. The alternative solution to this issue is to take the help of agencies which provide the same services by charging a very high price.

Low efficiency is another major issue in public participation in decision-making in accordance with Paramati et al., (2022). Public participation in public meetings is usually not a priority for them. Because they are busy with their own work and offices and prefer to stay at home rather than attend a meeting. This highlights that the public is not interested in participating in their own decisions and has trusted the policymakers to make decisions on their behalf. This shows the lack of efficiency and lack of interest among the public. People have less time with them after completing their own work and this issue makes public engagement low. Another reason for lower efficiency is that the public believes that even after their engagement nothing will change and the results will remain against them this encourages a low participation rate.

Kraemer, et al., (2019) highlight that even the public does not want to take part in public participation. They are not interested and lack the time and money to get ready and go for a meeting. The public participation rate demonstrates the interest of the public in public gathering in decision-making which is low because everybody is quite busy with their own chaos. The policymakers have to make the interaction between them and the public strong so that the people do not find their engagement unnecessary or even boring. The policymakers have to develop interest and stimulate public participation by taking some steps. Public participation in public policy-making can be encouraged by giving some opportunities to them. For instance, offering rewards for participation and solving their daily life issues can help in more public engagement.

Jones (2019) identifies that barriers in language and speaking become a core issue while addressing the crowd. For example, when policymakers address the public in a secular country which has a diverse population where people speak different languages and follow different cultures becomes very hard to understand them and able to define themselves. Language barrier is a big issue when policymakers are not familiar with the local language of that particular region. Due to the barrier in the language, people try to exclude those who are different from them and speak a different language. This is the main reason for the creation of backward and marginalised groups. Even the policymakers exclude people coming from different countries and communities and exclude them from decision-making.

In the view of Gigante (2023), getting negativities and attitudes from the public discourages policymakers from involving the public in policy-making. The public sometimes demonstrates a negative attitude towards the policymakers which is an issue for the lack of public participation. People behave unethically in front of the decision-makers and process apathy for them. The reason behind this negative attitude is that the public feels that there is no role for them and it is useless to attend such meetings. People believe that they will not receive any useful outcome after participating in the decision-making process.

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In the opinion of Choi, et al., (2022) inadequate decentralization in public consultation is a core issue. Sometimes public consultation in some countries does not even reach the ward or the sub-ward level because they are not considered to be as important as compared to other community members. Sometimes mobility and movement from one place to another becomes an issue. For example, the public finds it difficult to move from one place to another when they do not have any convenience with them. They think that the transportation cost is too high to reach the venue and this is not absorbed by them.

According to Bobbio (2019), accessing the information is difficult and a big issue. Communities lack in collection of accurate and appropriate information on policy making which results in chaos. Sometimes, the government have to follow an adequate budget and planning for effective policymaking. It becomes difficult to obtain the relevant information sometimes. To avoid this issue the policymakers should implement a team for research and development in order to produce important results.

Position

My position lies in the identification and providing useful solutions to overcome the issue. My argument in relation to the core issues discussed above with respect to public participation in policy-making. I believe in the fact that public participation is important to encourage the public of that region to take part in the activities which are prepared by the government. Thus, public participation provides an opportunity for policymakers to evaluate all the current issues they are facing. With public participation, policymakers can make good relations with the public. In accordance with public participation in my viewpoint, it is not necessary to take part always. On the other side, I do believe that public participation provides better governance and gives the government a chance to improve itself in any discrepancy found in its work (OECD ILiberary, 2023). In my opinion, the benefits associated with public participation are first, with public participation in policy-making the government can drive better decisions in accordance with their citizens. The government can make decisions by keeping in mind the feelings and thoughts of the public. Even the policymakers will get an idea of what their citizens want and what are their demands that need to be fulfilled. With this practice, the government will make decisions which are best for the public and will support their interest. With public participation, the values of the citizens in the decision-making reflects their need and their desires. Second, to manage social issues the communities can develop long-term capacity and strategies to overcome the issues with participation. This also helps in clearing any discrepancies and misunderstandings between the public and the government.

The core issues discussed above highlight that people lack interest and get bored in attending any meetings. But in my opinion, I believe that public participation contributes to better and more effective decision-making and this is the main reason that the public should attend the meetings. So that the policymakers will understand their demands and can do an open discussion. The decision-makers get information about the opinions of the public in general. The information lies in the form of values, desires, and interests. The government will come to know about the demands of the stakeholders with their participation. The government or the policymakers can identify, implement and justify sustainability in their decision-making for the public. Even the policymakers can make policies for those who are excluded from the community such as the backward group and the vulnerable people (Brown, et al., 2020). The investment of time by the decision-makers will help in gaining trust in the eyes of the public which will also help in elections and this is the biggest vote bank. Gaining the trust of the public is important in making rational decisions. This also helps in faster removal of the obstacles found in the process.

Another core issue is the mobility and movement of the public. I evaluate that this is the big issue that the government faces. In my opinion, the government is conducting the meetings so it is the responsibility of the government to give a mode of convenience to the public so that they can come and join the meeting. This is the negative aspect of the government according to me. They want every citizen should participate but what about the older population of the country they do not have any means of transportation. The government should arrange the facility of transportation for older as well as for handicapped populations who are dependent.

The management of social problems is the result of effective and sustainable stakeholder participation in my viewpoint. Participation of the stakeholders helps in implementing better policies and making better decisions in favour of the public. The trust which I have talked about above is the result of the improved decision-making process. Disputes and issues are resolved with collaboration between the government and the public. Respecting each other position is a way to develop good relations which supports interest and values. With public participation, people cannot say no to the decisions of the policymakers because the decisions are taken in front of the public. Not only the government it is also the responsibility of the public to support their government and help them in the process. It also gives a chance to the citizens to evaluate, observe and provide solutions to the government. The stakeholders can look at the advantages and the disadvantages of the political, social and cultural issues. According to my observation stakeholders and the government can achieve a high score together and can make better decisions for their country. With the help of collaborative problem-solving, the agencies of the government can implement community holders to hold community challenges in order to get rid of them quickly. Even with this model in my view, the government can work on issues of public health, education, environment, etc.

In accordance with my observation, public participation promotes sustainable decision-making in the policy. In my opinion, some of the necessary conditions which are required in effective public participation are first, the goals and objectives should be clear. With a well-defined purpose, policymakers can create and implement better policies. Second, the process and the structure should be clear and understandable. Rules and regulations can be made for effective decision-making. Third, the opportunity to influence the decision is the best way to convey the demands of the public. Fourth, process commitment is essential in policymaking because it reflects the activities and the process implementation to make public participation more effective. Fifth, with an inclusive and effective presentation of the ideas the public can easily understand the opinion of the government and can suggest ways to improve in some areas. Sixth, the policymakers should practice equality for all the stakeholders (Eckerd and Heidelberg, 2020). They should not practice discrimination and treat everyone equally in my opinion. Regardless of race, class, color, gender, nationality, sex, income, etc., policymakers should involve them in the process of creating and implementing policy. With this practice, the government will make decisions which are best for the public and will support their interest. With public participation, the values of the citizens in the decision-making reflects their need and their desires. Even the policymakers will get an idea of what their citizens want and what are their demands that need to be fulfilled.

Some considerations in public participation involve sufficient resources to conduct the whole process. Without resources, the policymakers cannot make decisions. Resources involve capital, physical and human resources. Financial resources are also important in the process of implementing public policies. With enough amount of funds, policymakers can implement and can resolve any policy in favour of the public (Hügel & Davies, 2020). On the other hand, corruption is a key issue between the government and the public. Because of corruption, the public lacks trust in the policymakers and believes that they will encompass those decisions which are not in favour of them. It is the responsibility of the policymakers to design the meeting for public participation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the core issues can be resolved with better implementation of the public policies itself. It will be going to give a chance to the government and the public to understand each other opinions and formulate policies together. With public participation, the public and the policymakers both can develop and understand the desires and demands of the current situation. The citizens should take public participation as an opportunity to indulge with the government. This is the best chance for the public to put forward their demands and their needs without any hesitation. This is a powerful decision that one can make use of. The time and effort which are required in policy making are the result of high expectations and observation which the policymakers do. To maintain the effectiveness of the policies the policymakers have to check time to time implementation of the policies in order to get better results. In this manner, the policymakers can resolve the existing core issues and maintain their position.

References

Books and Journals

• Bobbio, L., (2019). Designing effective public participation. Policy and Society, 38(1).41-57.
• Brown, G., Reed, P., & Raymond, C. M. (2020). Mapping place values: 10 lessons from two decades of public participation GIS empirical research. Applied Geography, 116, 102156.
• Choi, M.J., Yoo, S.W. and Bowersox, Z., (2022). Conscription and Political Participation: How Conscription Policies Affect Voter Turnout. Armed Forces & Society, p.0095327X221112028.
• Eckerd, A., & Heidelberg, R. L. (2020). Administering public participation. The American Review of Public Administration, 50(2), 133-147.
• Gigante, B., (2023). To be or not to be admitted to the emergency department for chest pain? A costly dilemma. European Heart Journal, 44(19).1715-1717.
• Hügel, S., & Davies, A. R. (2020). Public participation, engagement, and climate change adaptation: A review of the research literature. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 11(4), e645.
• Jones, M., (2019). The European Landscape Convention and the question of public participation. In Justice, Power and the Political Landscape (. 231-251). Routledge.
• Kraemer, S.A., Ramachandran, A. and Perron, G.G., (2019). Antibiotic pollution in the environment: from microbial ecology to public policy. Microorganisms, 7(6),180.
• Paramati, S.R., Shahzad, U. and Do?an, B., (2022). The role of environmental technology for energy demand and energy efficiency: Evidence from OECD countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 153, 111735.
• Rose, R., (2020). Inheritance before choice in public policy. In Making policy happen (. 51-64). Routledge.
• Salami, B., Salma, J. and Hegadoren, K., (2019). Access and utilization of mental health services for immigrants and refugees: Perspectives of immigrant service providers. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 28(1),.152-161.
• Strasser, B., Baudry, J., Mahr, D., Sanchez, G. and Tancoigne, E., (2019). " Citizen science"? Rethinking science and public participation. Science & Technology Studies, 32(ARTICLE), .52-76.

Online

• OECD ILibrary. 2023 Online Available through:< https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/evaluating-public-participation-in-policy-making_9789264008960-en >