Model on Nationwide Policy Implementation
(I.B. Saravanan)
A project which needs to be implemented throughout a country should either be for a public cause like awareness on polio or AIDS or national cause (like government saving on import or increasing income from exports etc. which would later translate to public cause). Implementing such a project requires Vision of Leaders, Political Will of Stakeholders, Stability of Governments, Public Flexibility and Adaptation Mechanisms available in the country.
Vision of Leaders
When the leaders in a country are qualified, ambitious and are visionaries, then those countries prosper at a faster pace. It is this vision of a leader, who leads a people and organization of people which benefits the nation. Unambiguity, clear defined path and self corrective measures are few traits of visionaries who lead their countries towards success in economic and commercial front.
Stability of Governments
Stability of successive governments is vital for any projects’ continuance and hence, its success. The forms of governments or methods of election to power matter less in front of a basic realization on the laid down vision for the country. Frequent upheavals in the political arena cause turbulence and unrest among the stakeholders, resulting in either discontinuity of the programme or decreased moral support/funding for the same.
Political Will of Stakeholders
The stakeholders in any nationwide project’s successful implementation are the government, the funding institutions, the public, NGOs and private participators. Success largely depends on the well oiled progress between all these stakeholders towards a common goal. Even a small mismatch between them on compatibility, in their interests, would seriously hamper final achievement by delaying the process and/or the realization targets.
Public Flexibility
When consensus from the policy makers has reached the public, the major stakeholder, an evaluation process begins. It could be any form of a social organization like a community, a town or a cooperative. When the policy directives are such that it conveys the evaluator that his/her social organization will benefit more on measurable counts in comparison with existing situation, the public accepts the directives and involves themselves in the project. It is observed that if the benefit on the longer run is greater, then small hardships are accepted at the current instance. Acceptance notwithstanding, the flexibility shown by the public after evaluation may vary with different social setups, with respect to their existing comfort levels, social values and ethos and culture.
Existence of Adaptation Mechanism
Success of the implementation greatly rests on proper identification of areas to invest which is invariably related to the existing knowledge and adaptation mechanisms in the country. It is much easier to implement a course correction for a country which is traditionally cropping corn with lesser benefit to sugarcane cultivation with higher benefits, rather than to change it to an orientation with ITES industry.
I.B. Saravanan, Consulting Editor,
Icfai Research Centre, Chennai
