Page 38 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 38
ss-sectoral policies, both opportunities and challenges can be expect-
ed. Rayner and Howlett (2009a) report that while policy integration is cur-
rently fashionable, efforts to replace the traditional ‘policy silos’ are fraught
with risks. A very real possibility exists of creating ineffective instrument
mixes or incomplete reform efforts with the resulting poor outcomes at the
macro, meso or micro level. According to the overall orientation of this
article, we especially expose those appearing on the macro (policy) level.
Rayner and Howlett (2009a) distinguish three forms of challenges:
- Politics of implementation: weaning key actors off subsidies or
reregulating critical sets of social and economic activities against
opposition from those actors who benefit from the status quo.
- Administrative: related to the link between a desire for better pol-
icy integration and a more collaborative policymaking style.
- Analytical: most notably those connected with the logic of goal
rationalisation and, especially, the identification of optimal poli-
cy instrument designs.
Benson (2011) identified three overlapping barriers to effective joint
actions:
- The differing worldviews, interests and mandates of the sectors.
Actors’ discrete areas of expertise tend to embrace information
within their own discipline while disregarding other matters as
irrelevant to taking action on the issue. This may lead not only to
counterproductive but also conflicting situations (also see Tosun
& Lang, 2013).
- The resource allocation and planning processes within government.
The expected courses of actions and consequently resource al-
location are defined by governments for sectors. Civil servants’
work is thus evaluated according to their contribution to the at-
tainment of sectors’ objectives, rather than broader objectives re-
quiring joint cross-sectoral action.
- Capacity constraints within sectors for generating necessary infor-
mation. Actors usually lack expertise and information about oth-
er sectors. Deficiency in this capacity may constrain successful
cross-sectoral cooperation.
38
ed. Rayner and Howlett (2009a) report that while policy integration is cur-
rently fashionable, efforts to replace the traditional ‘policy silos’ are fraught
with risks. A very real possibility exists of creating ineffective instrument
mixes or incomplete reform efforts with the resulting poor outcomes at the
macro, meso or micro level. According to the overall orientation of this
article, we especially expose those appearing on the macro (policy) level.
Rayner and Howlett (2009a) distinguish three forms of challenges:
- Politics of implementation: weaning key actors off subsidies or
reregulating critical sets of social and economic activities against
opposition from those actors who benefit from the status quo.
- Administrative: related to the link between a desire for better pol-
icy integration and a more collaborative policymaking style.
- Analytical: most notably those connected with the logic of goal
rationalisation and, especially, the identification of optimal poli-
cy instrument designs.
Benson (2011) identified three overlapping barriers to effective joint
actions:
- The differing worldviews, interests and mandates of the sectors.
Actors’ discrete areas of expertise tend to embrace information
within their own discipline while disregarding other matters as
irrelevant to taking action on the issue. This may lead not only to
counterproductive but also conflicting situations (also see Tosun
& Lang, 2013).
- The resource allocation and planning processes within government.
The expected courses of actions and consequently resource al-
location are defined by governments for sectors. Civil servants’
work is thus evaluated according to their contribution to the at-
tainment of sectors’ objectives, rather than broader objectives re-
quiring joint cross-sectoral action.
- Capacity constraints within sectors for generating necessary infor-
mation. Actors usually lack expertise and information about oth-
er sectors. Deficiency in this capacity may constrain successful
cross-sectoral cooperation.
38
