Original scientific paper
The Implementation of Public Policies as Operational Governance: An Analysis of Croatian Policy toward Persons with Disabilities
Anka Kekez-Koštro
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Kristina Urbanc
; Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivona Salaj
; Faculty of Educaiton and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper studies the transformation of the process of implementation of the policy toward persons with disabilities (OSI) in Croatia, which arises as a consequence of the transformation of the model of policy-making toward persons with disabilities – from a medical to a social one, with a tendency for development of a model of human rights. Considering the process-based orientation of the analysis, the implementation is examined through the concept of public governance, by using the theoretical framework of multiple governance by Michael Hill and Peter Hupe, who understand implementation as operational governance. Changes of activities of operational governance at the systemic, organizational and individual levels as a consequence of the mentioned transformation of the model are conceptualized and analysed. Through an analysis of the interviews of policy actors and implementation documents, as part of an interdisciplinary research project, the authors show that Croatian policy toward persons with disabilities has seen non-uniform transformation at different levels of implementation (the system/organization/individual). At the systemic level, the existence of the social model with a tendency for further development of the implementation framework toward a model of human rights has been established. The level of inter-organizational relations is characterized by the social model, and at the individual level getting out of the medical model is only taking place.
Keywords
implementation process; models of making policies toward persons with disabilities; multiple governance framework; operational governance; governing the policy process (systemic level); governing inter-organizational relations (organizational level); governing interpersonal contacts (individual level)
Hrčak ID:
99826
URI
Publication date:
5.3.2013.
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