Online discussion (for Hifsa)

Ongoing policy evaluation means evaluating and analyzing the effectiveness of the policy during the whole process of implementation of the policy. Ongoing policy evaluation is very important because of the success of the policy and the purpose of the policy. It is necessary to evaluate the impact and outcome of the policy on different stages of the implementation of the policy. The public policy is complex because it involves different factors that are on higher levels and beyond the control of the policy makers (Gerston, 2010). These factors may change during the course of the implementation of the policy, and may need changes in the external and out of control factors. It is very important for the government to evaluate the impact of the policy so that the effectiveness of the policy is analyzed and the changes in the policy are brought onto the table if needed (Rossi, Lipsey, & Freeman, 2004).

The policy making has a cycle which repeats itself in case of changes are made in the external or internal factors, and if some parts of the policy becomes obsolete or ineffective over a period of time. The policy cycle is shown in the following figure:

The policy cycle consists of two different stages of evaluation; one is the implementation stage where the evaluation is done for analyzing whether the policy is implemented properly or not. The second stage of evaluation is to analyze the impact or outcome of the policy. These two stages of evaluation are important and ongoing because the implementation should be picture-perfect and the impact should be the intended outcome.

The evaluation of the public policy may be done for two different purposes. The first purpose is the evaluation of the policy for programs, constitution and components of the policy which means whether the recipe of the policy is correct or it needs some changes. If the policy needs some changes in the programs, constitution or components, then the whole process of policy cycle is repeated and the policy is revised and improved. The second purpose is the evaluation of the people who are responsible for the implementation of the policy. This evaluates whether the right people are selected on the right job for the implementation of the policy or personnel needs to be changed. This process of evaluation does not need the whole policy cycle to be repeated (Rossi, Lipsey, & Freeman, 2004).

The inputs are the resources that are devoted for a particular program or policy and these resources may be the financial resources or non-financial resources. For example, the budget specified for a policy is the financial input whereas time spent by congress on debates and devising the policy is the non-financial input for the policy. Output of the policy is what the policy produces do. For example, an education policy produces graduates which means they are called the output of the policy. The outcome of the policy is the results or impacts of the policy on society. For example, after an education policy is passed, more people get jobs and trained on the job in order to perform their duties of the businesses. This is known as the impact on society.

In conclusion, it is very important for the government to evaluate the policy for outputs and outcomes on regular basis which means the process of evaluation should be ongoing. This is important just in case the output or outcomes of the policy are not according to the intended purpose of the policy. Then the inputs of the policy should be changed according to the requirements so that better outputs and outcomes can be achieved.

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