Implementation: The Missing Link Discovered?

The process of implementation, or how public decisions are best translated into activities of government, is not well understood. Evaluation research, private sector strategies, descriptive studies, and feasibility analyses have emerged as practical approaches to implementation. However, there is a missing link between insights into implementation and their application to improve programs.A unified approach, featuring a conceptual framework for implementation and indices for upgrading public program selection, initiation, and completion is needed. Implementation should be a crucial consideration from the very beginning in policy formulation. Implementation indices at this stage are: goals, objectives, and action commitments, and socio-political constraints and opportunities. In the program development stage, feasibility analyses, descriptive inquiries, and evaluations can be linked to control strategies. In the program deployment stage, evaluation procedures should be applied to give feedback on program performance and objectives, allowing for strategic renegotiation or refinement and re-targeting of policies.