By Alan E. Palomo Villegas

Advisor and Coordinator of Advisors to Senator Lucía Trasviña, President of the Public Security Commission

Public policies are the product of the State's decision-making processes in response to certain public problems affecting society. In this sense, it has the obligation to design and implement actions that resolve or mitigate these problems and contribute to strengthening the State.

Without a doubt, the issue of public policies is of great relevance for public administration and governments and is a fundamental part of public affairs because they represent the State, as they are the bridge between society and government. 

As for its definition, there are various authors who, based on their interpretation, define what public policies are. We have Harold Lasswell who in the 1950s said that public policies are "...disciplines that deal with explaining the processes of elaboration and execution of policies." It is worth remembering that thanks to his research, contributions and work on the subject, he is considered the father of public policies.  

In the case of our country we have Luis F. Aguilar Villanueva, a prominent academic who is considered the expert who introduced the study of the area to the academic world of the Spanish language and who defines public policies as: "the set of actions that are oriented towards the achievement of objectives considered as priorities by society, to solve problems whose solution is considered to be of public interest or benefit." 

Thus, we can find various experts and their definitions where we find in their studies a coincidence that public policies must be aimed at seeking the maximum benefit for society and safeguarding the interests of citizens. If executed correctly, they contribute to strengthening the relationship between the government and citizens.

On this occasion I would like to return to the studies of Julio Franco Corzo, a Mexican consultant expert on the subject, who tells us that public policies are: "mere government actions with objectives of public interest that arise from decisions that have been taken after a diagnosis and feasibility analysis." 

In a society as changing as ours, it is necessary to generate adaptable and innovative solutions where all the actors involved work together to achieve the objective of these, which is social well-being. 

Developing a public policy implies the joint work of all the actors who make its design, implementation and evaluation possible, where the actors are not only limited to the government, but it is also necessary to incorporate different scientific knowledge to meet the objectives of these and the participation of civil society and here I want to emphasize, citizen participation plays a transcendental role in the making of public policies since they are the ones who know firsthand what problems afflict them and therefore their participation is key to achieving a good diagnosis and finding the best solution. 

Now, just as there are various definitions of public policies, there are also various models or steps to follow to carry them out. For example, Harold Laswell states that there are 7 steps that must be followed, there are those who speak of 5 or 6 with similar names where they basically agree that there must be a statement of the problem, a diagnosis, an implementation and an evolution. 

Following the author Franco Corzo we will see that he shows us 4 stages: 

1. Gestation
2. Design
3. Implementation and
4. Assessment 

In the gestation stage is where we will find and delimit the problem, we will see where (geographic area) the problem is, who it affects and how it affects them. From my point of view, this stage is crucial for the success or failure of a public policy because if the problem is understood and the affected society is listened to, we have the sensitivity to create the best solution. 

Later, we will move on to the design stage, where the problem is analyzed in detail, and solutions are sought and proposed from different perspectives. At this stage, different actors converge: government entities, experts in the field, academics and, above all, civil society. 

All of this is done in order to establish a clear objective and population where the public policy is to be implemented, to analyze all the proposals, to see their viability and to try to streamline costs.  

It is during this part of the process where, after having carried out these analyses, a project will be presented in which the course of action to be carried out to implement the public policy is explained in detail after having reviewed administrative and budgetary issues, operating rules, lobbying and negotiation and having established a communication strategy. 

Giving way to the implementation that will take place when the public policy is going to be carried out, applying an action program to a problem, a situation or even behavior, implies modifications and disturbances in relation to the natural state of people and things. Understanding this, plans and projects are carried out and the necessary parties intervene so that the public policy is carried out in accordance with what is established. 

Finally, during the evaluation we will find out whether the public policy met its objectives of improving the quality of life and guaranteeing social well-being or not. It is worth mentioning that the evaluation is carried out throughout the entire process and not just at the end. We have the ex-ante evaluation, which is an analysis prior to the decision, a concomitant evaluation that allows making the necessary adjustments, and the ex-post evaluation that allows us to know the effects of the public policy. 

Of course, I leave it up to you to decide the number of steps, the author, the source and the modifications that you consider best for the understanding of public policies. What I would like to make clear is that they are not a panacea nor will they magically solve the problems of a society overnight. It takes time and requires a lot of goodwill on the part of the actors and, above all, the participation of civil society. If we do not listen to the citizens, our public policy is destined to fail.