Note: Public Policy: The Implementation Gap

Policy formulation and implementation are the chief, though not theonly, business of a modern government, implying exercise of its power. In ademocracy the people themselves grant permission to the government toexercise power in their name. Thus through the democratic process power istransformed into legitimate authority. However, there is a feeling that apolicy, formulated through due procedures at the highest echelons of thegovernment, is sometimes not implemented in the same spirit or in thesame way as was originally intended by the policy makers. Thus there Ifneed to locate and identify the points where such lapses take place.