Reaction Paper Models Of Policy Making

MODELS OF POLICY MAKING
Reaction Paper

Submitted to:

The Graduate School of
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
ATTY. CYRIL RAMOS

Professor/ Specialist

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements in
DEM 739: EDUCATIONAL LEGISLATIONS & POLICY ANALYSIS

By:

JANICE L. LOZADA-HILAO
DEM Student

December 20, 2014

I. INTRODUCTION

On the level of the individual, we are often confronted with problems and issues every day. On the basis of our analysis of these problems and issues, we make decisions. Yet even though these decisions are made on the individual level, there are factors from our environment (or those that are external to us as individuals) that affect the way we decide. Some of these factors are the values held by our family and the community, and its structure, the resources available, the possible consequences of our actions, and the model that determines and guides the whole process.

From the individual level, we now move to society. A group of people, say a community or a state must make decisions also. An analysis of the problem or the issue must be made and a decision must be arrived at. Most often than not, these decisions become what we know as a policy, which may either be in the form of a statute, a program, a ruling, or a course of action. Our appreciation of the whole process is mostly affected by our individual circumstances, our environment and the model, which serves as the foundation of our analysis. The last, which is the primary concern of this work, is what most authors refer to as policy making models.

II. DISCUSSION In general, there are four categories or classes that require mentioning before proceeding, namely: (1) King and King Makers/Elitist Model; (2) Clusters/Group Model; (3) Rational Model; (4) System Theory; and (5) Institutionalism. These models are worth mentioning because they provide the basic tools needed for the analysis of policy making. Although there are others equally important, for purposes of this work, the foregoing is sufficient.

The Elitist model, on the one hand, views policy making as influenced largely by elites, who manipulate the public and influence their opinion. Group theory or Pluralism, on the other, interprets policy making as influenced by groups or clusters of people who are not generally part of the elite. Rationalism attempts to explain policy making as a scientific or rational process. It looks at the process of decision making rather than the source of influence or power. Under the systems theory, policy making is a process whereby inputs are used and processed to arrive at an outcome (output), feedback is then incorporated into the system in order to make it more efficient or to arrive at better decisions (output). The traditional or classical approach is Institutionalism, which focus on the structure, duties and functions of institutions.

Having introduced the models, it is now proper to discuss them in relation to some issue or pressing concern. One of which is the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF). It was the Philippines’ response to the ASEAN Qualifications and Reference Framework (AQRF). The AQRF framework was conceptualized in the light of the ASEAN Economic Community, which is expected to be established in 2015. This Framework was devised as a response to economic globalization and cross border movement of labor. Governments in the ASEAN region felt the need for the development a common standard as a step towards enhancing student and labor mobility in the region. The AQRF aims to harmonise regulatory arrangements between participating countries. It incorporates the recognition of qualifications and assurance of quality education provision, through the development of mutually comparable national qualifications frameworks (NQFs), which is based on a common reference framework.

The PQF is the Philippines’ response to the requirement that a local or national qualifications standard be set, in accordance with the policy of the ASEAN region. This is the output to an external stimulus that was processed by our educational system, including the concerned agencies of our government with the participation of the academic community.

The Philippine educational system forms part of a larger community in the ASEAN region. Philippine education therefore, must respond to the inputs from various sources, like the trend towards globalization, in order to produce an output for purposes of compliance and conformity. This encapsulates what the systems theory of policy making tells us.

III. RECOMMENDATION
However, there are issues that still need to be addressed prior to realization of the objectives of the PQF. Some of which pertain to the lack of a regionally accepted accreditation standards, information database for purposes of transparency, and flexibility on the part of our educators and institutions to fully adapt to this global trend at the soonest possible time. The various responses to these stumbling blocks will serve as feedback, which is to be flowed back to the system.

Considering that the Philippine education forms part of a larger system, there is a pressing need for our local educators and educational institutions, with the support and participation of our policy and decision makers to cooperate for the realization of the objectives of the PQF.