Question

Which stage of the policy progress is the most important and why?

Answer 1

Policymaking mechanism requires a sequence of related acts or events. It focuses on the way policies are made (process), not on the content of the policy itself and its implications (product). Policy-making mechanism bodies or actors include political leadership, citizen engagement or interest groups, legislatures and lawmakers, administration and the judiciary.

In general, there are four main stages of the policy-making process, which are initiation, formulation, implementation and evaluation

The Implementation stage is the most important

Policy implementation or execution is most often done by entities other than those which have developed and implemented it. In general, a law contains only a broad overview of a strategy. For example, Congress may require improved water quality standards, but through legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides information on certain standards and the procedures for assessing compliance. As noted earlier, there is no process in the Supreme Court to enforce its decisions; other branches of government have to execute their determinations. Effective implementation depends on the nature of the policy, collaboration among those implementing the policy and enforcement

A strong example is a ruling by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. The judges recognized that desegregation was a complicated issue; however, they did not provide instructions on how to enforce it "with all deliberate pace." Implementation here relied on close review by circuit and court judges, as well as local and state school board members who were often hesitant to press for social change.