Civic engagement and public policy implementation : the child support grant

Abstract

Paper presented at the Biennial Conference, Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management, 19-23 October 2008, Bridgetown, Barbados. The amount of time required to define a certain policy proposal, as well as the policy problem itself, are logically determined by the particular issue at hand. Issues that are complex and value-laden generally have higher and more varied levels of involvement by various stakeholders. In some instances, the courts may influence policy content and processes, which sometimes renders this endless complexity even more shapeless and fluid. The support for, or opposition to the issue involved in the policy-making process, or even in the implementation of the policy, further shape and form the final policy to reflect differing values and ideological positions. The final policy involves an extremely complex set of interactions over time. It is therefore important to realize that successful policy-making requires democratic decision-making. Besides the elected policy-makers, the presence of an informed citizenry and self-organized groups may contribute valuable pieces to the final policy. Successful implementation of the policy again requires other critical elements like citizens’ expectations, participation, and continual political engagement. This paper focuses on aspects of citizen engagement and relates these aspects to the child support grant in South Africa in particular. The child support grant addresses the issue of child poverty.