Something I have learned at this internship: implementation is not pretty. Policy-makers can get up before a group of people, make grand guarantees, promise bright futures, and are in the business of telling people exactly what they want to hear: don’t worry; government will solve all of their problems. But, politicians cannot ensure the effectiveness of these policies: they very well may be promising what is impossible to deliver: after all, they do need to be re-elected. If the policy goes array, there are always the bureaucrats to blame. Words are easy. Actions are substantially harder.
Policy promises sound great to many residents. To those involved in government, it may sound great to them as well, but a bureaucrat cannot help but ask – how in the world is this going to work? Money has a limit, businesses will only comply to a certain point, and residents may get tired of taxes, and perhaps compliance. To ensure all of this is actually accomplished? That’s the government’s job. And undoubtedly, it will more than likely be an implementation nightmare. Some of these hurdles will need to be jumped if the policy is really worth it. On the other hand, some of these hurdles, well, just aren't worth jumping. Because the pursuit of something-- using an imperfect plan to fulfill an overarching goal-- can screw the situation more up than if it was just left alone.
It may work, it may not. One thing is abundantly clear—big policy promises cost a lot of money, and take a lot of time. My one caution is this: next time a politician promises you the world, step back, and ponder the logistics. It may be impossible. Empty promises are just that, empty promises. Don’t get too excited. A politician may try to get you the world, but after he/she is done with it, it may be so messed up you decide you don’t want it anymore.
Going forward
16 years ago
I just had to laugh after reading this post (mostly because I agree 100% with your frustrations). There are three essential steps to policy implementation, and most bureaucrats skip past the most important parts. Firstly, there must be planning...A LOT of planning. This is the part most bureaucrats skip, as they simply want to get to the next step, or implementation. That way it looks like they're doing 'something', not just sitting around planning all day (e.g. stimulus bill sound familiar to anyone?). And even after implementation, most forget to evaluate their plans and implementations of such, which is why our Nation is plagued with out-dated and unnecessary legislation in so many sectors of government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of it, especially the last paragraph that discusses the taxpayer. The taxpayer should be more cautious and question the politician that promises them the world. When the politician provides all the rhetoric the taxpayer should be asking about the substance.
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