Question

What is the broader background and context for the reframing of public policy (environmental, social, economic) using a “wellbeing” lens – i.e. what triggered/motivated this change in the “evaluative framework” for public policy?

Answer 1

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The process of policymaking is a complex ordeal involving many steps. The basics steps are as follows: the identification of the policy problem, problematization, identifying various alternatives to address the problem, applying policy tools like CBA(Cost Benefit Analysis) or CEA(Cost-effectiveness analysis) assess the various 2 alternatives, selecting and implementing the best alternative and policy evaluation to measure the worth, utility and merit of that policy by looking at how it stands on the three pillars of efficiency, equity and fairness. In a democratic setup taking into consideration the pluralistic nature of the people's social, economic and political preferences, the various stakeholders like politicians, civil servants, lobbyists, area experts, and the industry or area representatives, use a variety of tactics and tools to advance their aims, including advocating their positions publicly,
attempting to educate supporters and opponents, and mobilizing allies on a particular issue; which in turn affects the policymaking process and the goals it sets out to achieve. A proper understanding of public policy would then require us to pay close attention to how the world works and how things reach a consensus or a decision. Who are the relevant actors? How institutions are set up and for what purpose? And, whether these institutions work in their
intended manner and how it is measured? With this overview of ethics, public policy and the complexities of policy formulation and implementation, we can argue that ethics and public policy are interrelated and that public policy
making is not just about maintaining a plurality of interests in society. In a pluralist, democratically governed society, people might be more free than ever, thus as a result they have to bargain hard between different interest groups and finally reach a justiciable consensus. But considering the pluralistic nature of such a setting, individuals and groups will be having different moral stances and thus different principles of what is justifiable to them. Take the case of reservation in India, it was implemented to correct the injustices that the lower caste communities had to endure in the past. It is opposed in the sense that it is unjust to reserve opportunities that are to be equally divided. In such cases, if the plurality of interests without any ethical considerations is what matters, it will give way to policies (or none) which won’t align with equity and fairness, two important pillars of public policy .