Effective Implementation In Practice: Integrating Public Policy and Management

Chapter FourPolicy Fields

In conversations about many public issues—health care reform, homeland security, food assistance for the needy—most people, after expressing their opinions about the substantive issue, shake their head at the operations of “the system.” Allusions are made to politics, bureaucratic processes that impede quick actions, or incentives that don't seem aligned. But rarely do they actually know very much about the specifics of “the system.” Who is involved? What are their motivations and desired results? What are their accountabilities and incentives? What important relationships could be leveraged to exert influence to improve things? As suggested by the issues confronted by the various actors in Colorado's Affordable Care ...