Policy implementation as an interactive process of action and

PROCESS OF ACTION AND RESPONSE.

This approach to policy implementation focuses on what goes on during implementation and virtually seeks to understand how and why it happens. To this extent it underscores the relationship between policy and action and further explores the different frameworks within which such action takes place. It is for this reason that it is regarded as the action perspective to policy implementation.(Barret & Fudge 1981: 26).

According to Barret and Fudge (1981: 26), in order to understand actions and responses implicated in policy implementation, one needs to critically look at the actors that are involved, the agencies which form the context from which such individuals act, as well as the factors that have an influence on their behaviour.

The actors themselves have different roles. To this extent they are not only interrogated in their single roles either as crafters of policy or implementers thereof. On the contrary, they are looked at in a combination of roles which also include a third dimension, that is their role as interested stakeholders who are affected in one way or the other by the policies that are implemented by both themselves or others.

The fact that agencies and actors play different roles in the policy game presupposes that their actions and responses are shaped by a number of different factors depending on the respective roles of each. On the one hand, the scope for action is largely dependent on specific factors such as the functions and responsibilities of the agency or actor and environmental pressures. On the other hand, the manner in which such scope for action is made use of. Specific factors like, the agency‟s or actors perception of their scope of action, the

manner in which they understand the need for action in a given scenario as well as the existing motivation to act collectively determine how implicated actors will use their scope for action (Barret & Fudge 1981:28)

Hill and Hupe I2002: 55) in their analysis of the contribution of Barret and Fudge (1981: 251) in the history of the evolution of the implementation theory make some important observations. The two scholars observe that in their attempt to make a dynamic link between policy and action, they are indirectly suggesting that there exists a possibility in implementation where policy undergoes a fair amount of modification, to use a milder expression. To this extent during implementation policy is virtually mediated by actors or implementers who operate from a variety of assumptions which may be radically different from the views of the crafters of the policy. This observation therefore presages that there is a sense in which policy gets re-interpreted if re-crafted during implementation in a situation where implementation itself is approached as a bottom up perspective.

5. CONCLUSION5. CONCLUSION

The foregoing discussion occasioned specific conclusions that can be made in respect of our subject matter thus far. The first conclusion reached is that service is a transitive word and bears connotations of doing duty for someone else. This is not only evident in the use of the word in formal modern English, but is also characteristic of the way it used to define the service offered in the public sector.

Implementation is a critical stage in the policy process that requires dedicated study and research. Good and relevant policies can be in place but there is no guarantee that they will be successfully implemented. The critical study of the implementation process has not yet yielded a comprehensive implementation theory. However various distinct approaches have emerged over time giving rise to some kind of consensus regarding the critical variables that must be considered for successful if effective public policy implementation.

The theoretical framework thus far interrogated has outlined some aspects of the development of implementation theory by highlighting various approaches.

Consequently, the ensuing section of the thesis will be an explanation of the method and methodologies that will be used in the study.

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODSRESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS

1. INTRODUCTION.

The first chapter of the thesis served as an introduction outlining among other things the background and other pertinent sub-themes relevant to the scope of this study. The second chapter has been a fairly elaborate explanation of the theoretical framework of the magisterium of policy implementation intended to be

a preparation for the interrogation of the case study. The current chapter will then focus exclusively on questions of methodology in order to lay the foundation and provide the context within which the presentation of the findings and the analysis thereof will take place.

The KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier took a decision in 2004 to undertake a radical organizational review process which was primarily occasioned by the identification of certain weaknesses in service delivery initiatives generally; and more particularly with regard to addressing the Provincial Priority Goal of Strengthening Governance and Service Delivery. The process of review culminated – among other things – in the establishment of a Sub-Programme:

Service Delivery Improvement housed within the main Program: Public Service Transformation. The emphasis of this programme was clearly service delivery with the expressed strategic objective “to monitor and coordinate service delivery by the Provincial Government as a whole.” (KZN Office of the Premier, Strategic Plan 2005-2010: 30)

Consequently, the overall purpose of this research endeavour is to assess the implementation of the Service Delivery Improvement Policy of the KZN Office of the Premier as the nerve centre of government, with particular reference to the Provincial Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism which came into existence almost simultaneous with the new dispensation in 2004. The methodology adopted to consider the aforesaid thesis statement has been designed to bring about specific core objectives. Firstly, the probe is expected to critically analyse the actual policy with the aim of laying bare its fundamental elements construed as contributing in one way or the other to its potential implementation. The second primary objective of the probe is to seek to assess the level of implementation effected in the operations of the youngest department in the province, namely the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism. Thirdly, it is also expected that the study will make a modest contribution to the evaluation of the policy and by implication improve service delivery in the province.

2. ADOPTING A RELEVANT RESEARCH DESIGN2. ADOPTING A