Clarifying Public Policy for Stronger Public Administration in Development

Public policy is ubiquitous, yet its meaning is often unclear. This ambiguity is not just conceptual. Because policy work is a large part of what public administrations do, how we define policy shapes how we structure and organize our administrative mechanisms. Varying, incomplete, or misguided views of what policy work involves can thus easily lead to fragmented or misaligned administrative systems. This is a particular challenge in developing country contexts, where views of policy work may not fit what this work requires—setting countries up for administrative confusion and functional failure. This article responds to such challenge by attempting to clarify what public policy work involves. Through a study of 150 public policy definitions, it identifies six essential elements of public policy work—or the fundamental abilities that administrative systems need to facilitate for this work: to establish policy purpose and objectives; to devise solutions and strategy; to mobilize actors and authority; to ensure effective decision-making; to engage with context; and to accommodate appropriate process choices. These elements are presented as a set of core questions that policy work must engage, providing a practical framework for designing administrative systems that are better structured to do such work. In clarifying what public policy work involves, therefore, the article aims to help strengthen public administration in and for development.