This study deals with appropriate policy education in the South African context using the Public Policy Partnership (PPP) as a case study. The Development of Public Policy as an Academic Field 8 Public Policy Programs and the Changing Environment 10. As a result, public policy must be made more relevant to the public it purports to serve.
Practitioners of public policy (and students thereof) therefore need to understand the nature of the changing relationships between levels of government. Public policy as a profession was originally intended to advocate for the public interest. Part two is a case study of a current public policy training and education program in South Africa.
The Public Policy Partnership (PPP) was used as a case study for this research.
Criteria Used to Select Partners
According to KI-1, a key reason for a program like PPP to be based on a partnership model is, "..to fully equip PPP students with the skills they need to be effective, many different partners must contribute their unique expertise and experience". Universities: An obvious contribution is that universities are the primary providers of students. They provide real-world experience and thus play an important role in the internship component (discussed in the next section) of the program.
In the words of KI-1, “By gathering all these partners into one house of PPP, PPP is able to teach its students a unique combination of academic rigor and exposure to the real world in a highly supportive and supportive environment.” would undermine the entire process." At the same time, however, it seemed important to maintain relationships with all levels of government.
The PPP Model of Policy Education for South Africa
A Brief Summary of the Structure of the Programme
The PPP model of policy education is as follows: Through rigorous recruitment initiatives, students from partner universities are invited to apply for participation in the PPP program. From all written applications received, applicants are shortlisted to forty students who undergo an interview with a PPP selection panel. The final selected students, after interview, are twenty-five students selected each year from the partner universities in each education region (WC and KZN).
In these remaining two years of completing their university degrees, students attend two undergraduate winter institutes during the July vacation each year. A range of courses and activities are offered at these institutes which are designed to introduce students to the world of public service and equip them with a set of concrete and robust (political) skills. The institutes also seek to remedy any educational disadvantages that students may have entered the program with, and also prepare the student for the two remaining parts of the program, i.e. a public internship and continuing education.
The student undertakes the public service internship the year after completing the university bachelor's degree. NGOs, involved in public sector work that are considered to have aims and objectives consistent with those of the PPP programme. During this internship year, students are expected to “..learn skills and experience the real workplace on the ground and in real life” (KI One).
The PPP facilitates the placement of this internship and "..the PPP thoroughly tracks, monitors and supports students throughout this year" (PPP document, Appendix Q: The PPP at a Glance). PPP does not guarantee that they will find a job for students after the completion of postgraduate studies; however, "OPP will do everything possible to help place the student in a rewarding job in the public sector" (ibid). The institutes, the public service internship and the postgraduate study are expected to lay an important foundation for skills and competencies that the student can use in their respective careers within the public service, beyond the OPP education.
The Components of the Programme in Detail
- Data on students
It is clear from the findings that a very small majority of students attended private schools for their secondary education. While a significant proportion of students attended model C high schools, the majority of PPP students come from previously disadvantaged high schools. A significant majority of students were funded by their parents, while the other major percentage received a mix of all of the above.
University associations such as Remember and Give (RAG), Golden Key, South African Students Voluntary Organization (SASVO), etc. Political student bodies such as African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), South African Students Council (SASCO), Azanian Youth Organization (AZAYO), etc. Previous Exposure to Public Policy and/or Public Policy-related issues Figure 4: Exposure to public policy.
There was a very fine line between students who had prior exposure to public policy and those students who did not. This was found to be particularly true where some students were unsure of how they could utilize their career goals within the public sector. For example, law students who originally intended to go into private practice saw how they could use their legal expertise in the public sector as a legal adviser in a government department, or provide legal assistance in drafting policy documents, or work for a NGO like Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), etc.
They now realize how they can use their expertise in the public sector, with a focus on rural development. One respondent, whose original career goal was to be a property developer, realized how this goal could be shaped around "...being a policy practitioner who promotes property development in South Africa; for example, low-cost housing, retail in rural areas, etc. ." (SI). Furthermore, in relation to this question, it was found that students who were in the internship and postgraduate phases of the program were more confident about how they would utilize their careers in the public sector.
J The Winter Institutes
An introduction to the use of statistics for the social sciences, that is, quantitative methods; and,. This is done by bringing in experienced public service practitioners and PPP fellows currently serving their placements to speak to the students who will be starting their placements the following year;. In addition to the above courses, both Winter Institutes have what is called the "Joint Academic Project".
This is a culmination of the courses and activities that the students are involved in during the three weeks of the PPP Winter Institute. In addition to the courses offered at the Winter Institutes, there are numerous public service trips and activities included in the three-week calendar. To give students an initial sense of different types of public service organizations at work.
To give students an enhanced sense of some of the determining factors in the formation of "criminals". To provide an initial overview of some of the policy, planning and logistical problems associated with incarcerating offenders;. To encourage reflection on the difficulties and challenges that stand in the way of effective rehabilitation programs;
To develop a greater sense of individual and collective responsibility for building social cohesion in SA. To learn about the workings of the committee system, Public Hearings, the politics of lobbying, Green Papers, White Papers, Bills and Laws; and, more generally, the process by which diverse strands of socio-economic thought transform into different policy positions. To reflect on the "post-processes" of the legislation/delivery/enforcement chain: monitoring, evaluation, critique, amendment, reformulation, etc., in the cutting and thrust of argument between and within the state itself, the media, civil society organizations , communities and individuals.
The PPP Student and the Winter Institute/s
29 YTV°/°
Conclusion
Therefore, within the South African context, government policy must redress past injustices. Third, the public policy student's career goal is a useful indicator of the type of student who is attracted to the study of public policy. So what emerges from the study's findings is that it is a certain type of student who is drawn to the study of public policy.
Furthermore, in terms of the broad themes on which public policy education is based (as outlined in part one), namely: governance, public finance, public administration and the public policy process, the PPP provides an introduction to these in the winter term. Institutes. The internship part is only one part of the entire PPP program. It is clear that the PPP is aimed at the long-term training of public policy makers.
The PPP program was structured to cover the student's area of expertise (provided in the undergraduate course) as well as a specialized degree in public policy. This refers to the inclusion of the intended beneficiaries in the planning, preparation and implementation of the programme. A further step towards the inclusion of public participation in public-private partnerships is the involvement of the government in the internship phase of the program.
This will remain an ongoing challenge for PPP management in terms of sustainable development of the programme. Public policy training and education in post-1994 South Africa must therefore play a remedial and transformative role in terms of correcting the mistakes of the (apartheid) past. Now that the PPP has developed into a full-fledged Section 21 enterprise, it is faced with the crucial task of sustainable development of the program.
Questionnaire, PPP National Programme Director
- Demographic Details
- General
- The Future Of PPP
Questionnaire, PPP Programme Consultant
Questionnaire, PPP Internship Director
- Demographic Details
- General
- The PPP internship
Questionnaire, PPP, Cohort One
- Demographic Details
- General
- Winter Institute Two
- Demographic Details
- General
- Winter Institute One
- Winter Institute Two
Please note that you are not required to provide your name at any stage of the questionnaire. Your answers will therefore be treated anonymously and confidentially.
Questionnaire, PPP Cohort Three
- Demographic Details
- General
Questionnaire, Postgraduate Course Convenors
- Demographic Details
- General
The PPP has entered into a partnership with your university where one of the core components is for students to earn an honors and master's degree in public policy from one of the partner universities. Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management Guide to Public Policy, Education, and Organizations: www.appam.org.
