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COURSE NAME: 1.1 Meaning of Policy

Rural Development Policies and • Webster’s dictionary defines, Policy as a definite
Strategies course of action selected from among alternatives,
and in light of given conditions to guide and usually
Chapter One: Rural Policy determine present and future decisions.
Outline
1.1 Defining Policy • Policy is a course of action or intended course of
1.2 Defining Rural Development Policy
1.3 Differences and similarities of policy needs in different
action conceived of as deliberately adopted after a
rural areas review of possible alternatives and pursued, or
1.4 Trends in rural development policy oriented to be pursued.
1.5 Policies, Programmes and Projects in Rural Development
1.6 Conditions and Justifications for RD policy
1.7 Approaches and Key Players Involved in Policy Making
• A policy is typically described as a deliberate plan
1.8 Steps to Influencing Policy of action to guide decisions.
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• A policy is a declaration that defines the intention of a

community, organization or government’s goals and * A Policy will include:
priorities. • The source of mandate and authority to
– Policies outline the role, rules and procedures; they create a implement the policy
framework within which the administration and staff can
perform their assigned duties” (Mayer & Thompson, 1982). • Aims and objectives
• Statements about
- A policy is a statement of agreed intent that clearly sets out a - Who is responsible for implementing the policy;
government’s views with respect to a particular matter.
- How the policy will be implemented (strategies);
- How the policy will be communicated;
- It is a course of action adopted and pursued by a government,
party, statesman, or other individual or organization. - Codes, standards and benchmarks by which the
policy implementation can be evaluated;
- When and how the policy will be reviewed.
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• Why policy is so important? - A well written procedure will also help eliminate
- It's because well written policies & procedures common misunderstandings by identifying job
allow employees to understand their roles and
responsibilities within predefined limits. responsibilities and establishing boundaries for
- Basically, policies & procedures allow management to the job holders.
guide operations without constant management
intervention.
- It can be also as a road map where the trip
- Policies identify the key activities and provide a details are highlighted in order to prevent a
general strategy to decision-makers on how to
handle issues as they arise. person from getting lost or "wandering" of an
- This is accomplished by providing the reader with acceptable path identified by the company's
limits and a choice of alternatives that can be used to management team.
"guide" their decision making process as they attempt
to overcome problems.
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Some Important Functions of Policy

• Policy :
- they reflect the ideology and values of an organization or institution
is intentionally designed to achieve a stated or - they are the principles that guide action
understood purpose; - they are planning tools for goal setting and service delivery
- they provide the terms of reference for setting program priorities and
involves decisions and their consequences guiding program development
is structured and orderly - they provide the justification for and the sanctioning of resource
is Political in nature allocations (e.g., budget, staff time)

is purposive and deliberately formulated. - they provide a tool to assist in evaluating progress and in providing
accountability toconstituents, funding agencies, etc. (From Lyons et al.,
Does not emerge at random or by chance. 2001, pg.7)
Is a well thought out and is not a series of discrete
decisions.

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Typologies of Policy
Policies must take into account factors that may limit
their feasibility, such as: - Policies may be classified in many different ways.
– Are there sufficient institutional capacity and a. Distributive policies
human resources to implement the policy? - Distributive policies extend goods and services to to
– Are the management structures appropriate? particular segments of the population (individuals,
groups, corporations, and communities)
– Are there sufficient financial resources to enable
the achievement of the policy goal?
- Examples: government policies that impact spending for
welfare, public education, highways, public safety, etc.
Such limitations will influence decisions to be made
on the priorities, trade-offs and phasing of activities.
But policies can also announce various remedial - These mainly include all public assistance and welfare
programmes.
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b. Regulatory policies c. Procedural Policies

- Regulatory policies impose restrictions or limitations on - Procedural policies, in contrast, pertain to how something
the behavior of individuals and groups. is going to be done or who is going to take action.
- Regulatory policies, or mandates, limit the discretion of - So defined, procedural policies include laws providing for
individuals and agencies, or otherwise compel certain the creation of administrative agencies, determining the
types of behavior. matters over which they have jurisdiction, specifying the
processes and techniques that they can use in carrying out
their programmes, and providing for presidential, judicial
- They are concerned with regulation of trade, business, and other controls over their operations.
safety measures, public utilities, etc.
- These policies are generally thought to be best applied when
good behavior can be easily defined and bad behavior can be - Frequently, efforts are made to use procedural issues to
easily regulated and punished through fines or sanctions. delay or prevent adoption of substantive decisions and
policies. For example, an agency’s action may be
- An example of a fairly successful public regulatory policy
challenged on the ground that improper procedures were
is that of a speed limit.
followed.
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1.2. Defining Rural Development Policy • Rural development policy can be broadly defined as all aspects
• Historically, policies in relation to rural development have been of State action that, directly or indirectly, influences the nature
sectorally based. of economic and social development in rural areas.
• The emphasis has been on the development of a particular sector
of the economy, rather than on the development of a particular • A context for rural development policy is provided by the fact that
area. rural areas tend to:
• And, indeed, agriculture has been the sector which has had most – have higher than average dependency ratios, and
impact on rural areas. – have a weak economic structure
• However, an alternative approach is gaining in popularity – a – have a high dependence on agriculture,
spatial approach which focuses on a particular geographical area, – face lack of a diversified employment base and
and which seeks integrated development of that area.
– have continued emigration of those with higher levels of
education.

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• State policies relate to rural development in a number of ways:

• Rural development may be defined as seeking to sustain - Some policies may have implications for development of rural
vibrant rural communities with: areas, though that is not their intention.
– a balanced structure of age, – For example, health, education or social welfare policies will have
implications for the development of particular regions.
– income and occupational groups,
- Sometimes policies are intended to affect the development of
– capable of adapting to on-going economic, social and cultural rural areas, yet they are not officially rural development policies.
change, – For example, regional industrial policy may aim at developing a particular
– enjoying a high standard of living and an attractive quality of sector within the rural location, rather than develop the rural area as such.
life and - In other cases, policies may be explicitly defined as rural
development policies. They may be directly concerned with
– with sufficient income and employment opportunities to allow effecting changes in line with explicitly defined rural development
individuals and families to live with dignity” (Alan Matthews goals.
in O’Hagan, 2000, p. 252).
• Rural development should be viewed from an integrated spatial
perspective which takes account of all policies which have an
impact on the rural area.
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1.3 Differences and similarities of policy needs in different rural • Clearly, the rural policy prescription is different for
areas each type.
• The type of rural development policy implemented depends in
many cases on the type of rural area in question, and how it has
been defined or classified. - The remote rural areas may require policies to support
human resource development and to protect the
• It is sometimes useful to identify three classes of rural area, as environment.
follows:
1. Remote/isolated areas characterized by low population density,
low income, primary sector production, ageing population, and - The intermediate areas may require policy to develop
poor provision/access to services.
entrepreneurship and promote competitiveness
2. Intermediate rural areas with varying characteristics such as
mixes of primary and secondary sectors and large-scale farming.
3. Economically integrated rural areas, which are fully - The integrated rural areas would seem to require policy
integrated into the national or, indeed, global economy.
to reduce the economic, social and environmental
- These areas are characterized by increasing population, secondary and
tertiary sectors, and threatened environmental, social and cultural heritage. threat posed by rapid economic growth.
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• Despite different policies being required for different 1.4 Trends in rural development policy
types of rural region, there are of course common
threads in all rural development policy, - In practice rural development policy varies widely across,
and even within, different countries.
- However, Bryden (2000) suggests that a number of policy
• the following goals can be identified: trends in rural development policy (the general approaches
and direction )
- These include:
- Enhancement of the competitiveness of rural
- Shift from sectoral to territorial (spatial) based policy.
regions so that they can contribute appropriately to
- A move towards more bottom-up and participative policy
achieving national economic development goals. involving public, private and voluntary sectors (social
- Provision of opportunities to rural citizens to share partners).
a standard of living generally comparable to national - Recognition of the need for an integrated approach.
norms. - Recognition that there are different types of rural areas, and
therefore there must be different types of rural development
- Identification, development and protection of key policies.
national elements of the built environment in rural - Focus on local specificities as a means of generating new
areas, competitive advantage.
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– More attention to transport and communication • Recent trends in policy content of rural development
infrastructure, and to education and training. policies in many countries.
– Recognition that rural development policy is more than
agricultural policy. – Efforts to reinforce rural economies, principally through
– Introduction of ‘rural proofing’ of all policy. That is, the diversification of economic activities,
identification of the impact of policy on rural areas. – Attempts to restructure agriculture, through intensification,
modernisation and increasing value-added in productive regions,
– Strengthening transport and communications infrastructure,
including telecommunications infrastructure.
– New ways of providing public services in rural areas,(e.g.
telemedicine, distance learning)
– Developing human resources through vocational training,
improving entrepreneurial skills, and school-to-work initiatives.
– Capacity building at local levels, to enhance the ability of local
actors to participate.
– Enhancing business assistance especially efforts to diffuse new
technologies through R&D and the development of specialized
regional institutes or centers.
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1.5 Policies, Programmes and Projects in Rural Development

Policy:
Shifts in Paradigms of Rural Development: - described as a framework or strategy, giving a broad outline of the direction and
overall strategy for the development of a particular sector.
- defined as a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable
procedures, especially of a government body.
- Evolving Themes in RD (1950s – 2000s):
Programme:
 The 1950/60s was characterized as “modernization”. - is a planned and organized series of events that seeks to address a particular
 The 1970s was characterized as “state intervention” problem or to promote development.
- demands a clear statement of objectives linked to national or higher level
 The 1980s was characterized as “market liberalization”. policies.
 The 1990s/2000s was characterized as “participation” - They are made up of a number of projects which, when linked together, achieve
the programme objective.
Projects:
- is an identifiable development initiative at the local level, the effects of which
can be isolated from other on-going activities in the area.
- Projects form a clear and distinct portion of a larger, less precisely, defined
programme.
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• Policy is compressive, while program that derives from policy, 1.6. Conditions and Justifications for RD policy
is specific in terms of
1. Objectives • The major reasons for RD policies include:
2. Location
3. Duration
1. to ensure growth with social equity or social justice.
4. Funds, and 2. to protect rural poor from adverse effects of free market
5. Executing agency. responses to fluctuations of production, price and income.
• Program lends itself to:  Such protection can be provided only by the government in
1. Planning the form of price support, insurance and credit policies.
2. Financing
3. Implementation
• Project is a subset of a program as an investment activity, 3. To support rural income and improve its distribution
where resources are expended to create a productive asset from through anti-poverty programs.
which we can expect to realize benefits over an extended period 4. As most of the rural enterprises are small, scattered, and
of time.
unorganized, they need policies to improve their access to
Group Assignment One: Explain, with examples, the existing RD policies, opportunities and to improve their bargaining power
Programs and Projects in our context [Ethiopia]? against the exploitative power.
(Maximum of 2 page)
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5. To provide basic infrastructural facilities (e.g. roads,

• The African development bank has identified
water) and services (health, education, police protection,
etc)
four main developmental objectives, which
represent the building blocks of the vision for
6. To provide sufficient support to agriculture - the agriculture and rural development.
dominant sector in rural and national economy.

• These include:
– Poverty alleviation and food security;
– Accelerated economic growth;
– Natural resource management and environmental
protection; and
– Human and institutional capacity building.

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1.7. Approaches and Key Players Involved in Policy a. The Legislative Bodies
Making
• Legislatives influence over policy range from its
I. Governmental Actors in the Policy Process
initiation and formulation to its implementation,
• The governmental actors occupy formal public positions
and are therefore directly connected to and very
control and review.
influential in the policy process.
• These are the actual policy makers who occupy the • The legislatures therefore enact the laws, which
policy making position. set up policy programmes and consequently
– They are mainly the acceptors and converters of environmental determine the content, extent and timing of
demands and pressures into policies.
policies, as well as the personnel, mode and
• However, they have their own institutional individual
perceptions, attitudes, values, beliefs and interests which intensity of implementation and sources and level
are brought to bear on policy making. of funding.
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B. The Executive D. The Bureaucracy

• The executive has responsibility and power for the
implementation of policies. • The bureaucracy is a major organizational content
• The executive possesses enormous influence on the within which policy making implementation and
initiation, enactment, implementation, performance and evaluation takes place.
modification of public policies through its powers,
responsibilities and activities. • The bureaucracy constitutes the administrative
machinery for executing public policy.
C. Judiciary • The bureaucracy comprises the structures
• The judiciary is a moderator, an umpire and mediator of processes and staff for making public policies.
conflicts and judge of propriety in the policy process.
• judicial influence only becomes operative when conflicts
in the policy process are brought before it for interpretation
and review.

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II. Non-Governmental Actors a. Political Parties

• Political parties help in the articulation and aggregation
• The nongovernmental actors influence policy of policy issues and in the initiation and formulation of
through governmental actors. proposed policies.
• They seek access to these actors, • Political parties articulate the needs, demands and interests
of their members and supporters and mediate, comprise
– lobby and mobilize them to support and and aggregate them into course of policy action.
– convert their interest and demands into required
policy output. b. Interest Groups
• However, their access and influence depend on: – An interest group is a collection of individuals with some
common characteristics, interests and
– their professional or other connections to the policy interactions.
area, • They exist principally to project, pursue and protect their
– their strategic importance in the policy process and common interest group influence on the policy process.
• Groups constitute a linkage between the public and the
– their strength in terms of membership, leadership and government.
resources
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1.7.1. Timeframe for Policy Development.

c. The Citizenry
• The time frame for policy development is defined by many
• The citizenry are important actors in the policy actors including:
process. – the issue itself,
– government agendas,
• They constitute: – media attention, and
– the human environment of policies, – public pressure
– make the demands for public policy and • Policy development can range from an immediate crisis reaction
to a more proactive approach.
– are the beneficiaries of public policies.
Crisis Reaction
• Citizens influence the policy process through: • The path leading from an idea to public policy is sometimes
short and direct, usually brought about by a “crisis situation”
– political parties, that imposes a very short time frame within which policy must
– interest groups, be created.
– elections and • When such a “crisis reaction” takes place, the time taken for
policy development is shortened and some of the steps usually
– the mass media taken in the policy-making process may be condensed or left out
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Proactive Approach 1.8 Steps to Influencing Policy

• In most cases, the development of policy is not in • Although the policy process is not cut and dried,
reaction to a crisis situation,
– there are steps that communities can follow which
• but rather follows a process that allows for the full will put them on the road to affecting, understanding
application of research and input from interested
and influencing policy.
organizations and individuals.
• For a policy development process to be truly
effective, it should be based on accurate, up-to-date • Sometimes the path [to policy] is barely visible,
information about the issue or situation. obscured:
• • by the struggle of contending interests and ideas,
• Knowledge concerning the effectiveness of possible interventions • by the inconsistencies or contradictions of government
and initiatives that have previously been used will help those action and inaction or
involved in the policymaking process to understand the potential
• By fuzziness in how an issue is defined (Doern & Phidd,
effects of implementing a new policy.
1988, pg. 43).
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1. Identify the Problem or Issue 2. Identify Preferred Solutions and Develop an

Action Plan
• The process of policy change begins with
• This can be done by:
identifying one or two key issues that the
– looking at how similar situations were dealt with,
community wants to take action on. – deciding on what information you need to deal with your
particular key policy issues,
– figuring out who can help,
• This requires isolating the problem and its
– soliciting ideas from the community, and
causes. – thinking about the short and long term consequences of
various solutions.
• Understanding the problem and its causes often
• Once a solution has been identified, decide on the
requires gathering information about the issue. best strategy to influence the decision making
related to the identified problem or issue.
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3. Implement the Action Plan 4. Monitor and Evaluate Your Progress

• Once you have decided upon an action plan, you • Monitor and evaluate the progress you are making with
need to outline the steps that must be taken to carry the goal of identifying positive changes as well as areas
out the strategies you have chosen. that still need improvement.
• It is important to consider both the process itself as well as
• Some examples of potential actions include: impacts and outcomes.
– educating the public about your issue through the media;
– sending letters to appropriate authorities explaining the • When considering the process, you should ask yourself:
issue and
requesting action; – what have you done?
– submitting a policy brief; – what worked?
– what did not work, and why?
– presenting the issue at a public forum; and
– Contacting your municipal, provincial, and federal • In terms of impacts and outcomes, you should assess:
government representatives. – whether there has been an increase in public and
government awareness and support toward your issue,
– whether there have been any actual policy changes,
• It is also important to be willing to listen and – whether implementation of the policy resulted in the desired
consider people’s objections or suggestions. effect.
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