Participate & Contribute
The second core competency is the ability to participate in and contribute to the public policy process. In order to master this competency, one must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to participate in and contribute to the public policy process.
Social Security
I wrote a paper on social security and how I would address some administrative changes to the director, if I were in a position to do so. I chose this artifact as an example of participating and contributing to the public policy process because a situation like the one presented in the paper is a real-life scenario that could happen. Part of the public policy process is about defining issues, seeking out potential solutions, and offering up new ideas. In accordance with this, my suggestions for the director of social security when faced with inefficiencies in the workplace were to: First, suggest that they set policies and procedures in place for all decision making, and ensure that enough information is gathered and analyzed before any decisions are made. Second, suggest that they take a serious look at the current performance management system and consider a results-based approach, so that they can take action as soon as issues arise. Accountability is key and how you keep track of it will set a standard for your employees now and moving forward. Third, suggest that they take some time to speak with their employees and let them know that they are appreciated and that their day-to-day work is all part of a larger overarching goal and it wouldn’t be possible without their work. Employees need to know that they matter to their department and to their citizens. Social Service plays an extremely important role for the public and the employees should know that. These are all suggestions that I would make in this scenario and in any scenario similar, which will translate into my future career as a public servant.
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Disability ActI was tasked to work in a group effort to identify a public policy, research the past policy process of it, and make any recommendations we saw fit for it. My group members and I chose to research the American Disabiliy Act of 1990. Specifically, I created the past policies map, wrote the mapping the policy debate section, as well as wrote the conclusion with our recommendations. This assignment allowed me to really dive into the policy process, so that I could better understand how it often looks in action and how it an often never-ending cycle of improvement. Working with my group members allowed me to hone in on my group working skills, which are definitely needed in the realm of participating in the public policy process. Below is the past policies map, which shows the evolution of the ADA movement and all the changes it went through to end up where it is today. This was important for me to piece together, because it highlighted to me the longevity of the policy process. When working with policies as a public servant, I will keep in mind that even small changes are building up the greater picture.
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