Analysis and action: The political will and public will approach

Abstract

Addressing complex social problems requires the implementation of public policies in support of positive social change efforts. Both political will and public will are crucial elements of such efforts. This article details an approach for analysis and action consistent with other action research approaches that facilitators can use in analyzing and subsequently helping to build political will and public will to address social problems. This article outlines a basic toolkit for action researchers working in the public policy arena. Four basic and iterative tasks, based on formal conceptual definitions of political will and public will, make up this approach for analysis and action. These tasks are stakeholder identification, assessment of stakeholder views of problems and solutions, alignment of problem and solution understandings, and the building of firm commitments and mutual accountability. Action researchers working to bring about positive social change through public policy can use this approach to structure their efforts.

Protecting the world from infectious disease threats: now or never

“…Health cannot be protected by Ministries of Health alone 16. Many sectors need to be involved in order to increase and sustain investment,17 build long-term capacity and implement policies affecting health in the food, security and animal sectors.…”

Agriculture in Shifting Climates: The Configuration and Ripeness of Problem Understandings in Uganda and Senegal

“…Surveys are ill suited as a method in this study because they limit responses to options generated by the researchers. The first task within the research design, and the initial task within the PPW approach (Raile, Raile, & Post, 2017), is identification of relevant stakeholders. Due to resource limitations, we could not talk with a comprehensive list of stakeholders from the entirety of both countries.…”

“…The PPW approach supplies a systematic framework for analyzing political and public support for public policies and other social change initiatives (see Post, Raile, & Raile, 2010; Raile, Raile, & Post, 2017; Raile, Raile, Salmon, & Post, 2014). Conceptual definitions of “political will” and “public will” are the core of the approach, accompanied by operationalizations, targets for assessment, and ideas about measurement for each component.…”

“…The definitional components of public will are: “Social system;Shared recognition of a particular problem;Resolve to address the situation;In a particular way; andThrough sustained collective action” (Raile, Raile, Salmon, & Post, 2014). The PPW approach emphasizes the importance of stakeholders sharing common problem and solution understandings in order to achieve social change (Raile, Raile, & Post, 2017). Intention to do something about a problem means little if members of a social collective do not see the problem or solution similarly.…”

“…A secondary question focuses on how these problem understandings might present opportunities and obstacles for policy entrepreneurs advocating CSA solutions. We used certain components of the political will and public will (PPW) approach for analyzing policymaking and other social change efforts (Post, Raile, & Raile, 2010; Raile, Raile, & Post, 2017; Raile, Raile, Salmon, & Post, 2014) in investigating these questions. The PPW approach is ideally suited to this task based on its clear operationalization of problem understandings and corresponding specification of targets for assessment.…”