POLITICS OF DESIGNING PUBLIC POLICIES IN THE THIRD WORLD: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL

This article provides a critical appraisal of the politics of public policy design in the Third World. It challenges the purely technocratic and rational models of policy-making, arguing that the design of public policies is an intensely political process, shaped by the interests of dominant social classes, the nature of the state, and the influence of external actors. The study examines how the distribution of power in society determines which problems get on the policy agenda and whose interests are served by the chosen solutions. The research analyzes the role of the "soft state" in many developing countries, characterized by a lack of capacity and political will to implement policies that challenge entrenched interests. The paper also explores the significant influence of international financial institutions and donor agencies in shaping the policy agendas of aid-dependent countries. The analysis concludes that understanding the politics of policy design is essential for explaining why so many well-intentioned development policies fail in practice.

The design of public policy in the developing world is often presented as a rational, technical exercise aimed at solving societal problems. This paper offers a critical appraisal of this view, arguing that it is the politics, not the technical details, that are paramount. The study begins by critiquing the "rational actor" model of policy-making, positing that in the context of most Third World countries, policies are not designed in a political vacuum. The core of the article is an analysis of the key political factors that shape policy design. It examines the role of the state, not as a neutral arbiter, but as an arena of conflict where different social forces and bureaucratic factions compete to advance their own interests. The paper provides a detailed discussion of how the interests of powerful elites—be they landed, industrial, or military—often lead to the design of policies that benefit the few at the expense of the many. Another major theme is the external dimension of policy-making. The study analyzes the powerful role of international financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF, whose policy prescriptions, through structural adjustment programs and other conditionalities, have profoundly shaped the domestic policy choices of many developing countries. The findings lead to a sobering conclusion: to understand why policies often fail to address the needs of the poor and marginalized, one must first understand the political and class dynamics that govern their very design.