2.3.2. A Policy Process approach

2.3.2. A policy process approach

This project also engages with the literature on policy processes. Much of this literature is focused on understanding ‘interrelated stages through which policy issues and deliberations flow in a more or less sequential fashion from ”inputs” (problems) to “outputs’’ (policies)’.18 This sequence of stages is understood as the policy lifecycle, which has identifiable stages including agenda setting, policy formulation, decisionmaking, policy implementation, and policy monitoring and evaluation.

Policy Formulation

Agenda Setting Decision Making

Policy Evaluation

Policy Implementation

In this model, agenda setting refers to the process by which problems come to the attention of governments; policy formulation refers to how policy options are formulated within government; decision making is the process by which governments adopt a particular course of action or nonaction; policy implementation relates to how governments put policies into effect; and policy evaluation refers to the processes by which the results of policies are monitored by both state and societal actors.

In this project we focus in on two specific aspects of this lifecycle in the Vietnamese context – policy formulation and implementation. Our research suggests that in the phases of policy formulation and implementation, very little attention has been paid to sanctions, or to evaluation, monitoring and reporting. We identify lack of sanctions and weakness in the evaluation phase as key explanations for why the Party, ministries and other public agencies have been unable to meet their gender targets. As an overarching recommendation, we suggest designing a new sanctioning regime, and the design of a government-wide monitoring and evaluation platform in the form of a gender equality index (see below).