Transcript Policy How to Change it When It Hurts

Policy
How to Change it When
It Hurts
Shauna MacKinnon
Canadian Community Economic
Development Network(CCEDNET)
Policy Council
Building a Framework for
Advocacy and Change in
Government Policy
How to respond to public policy
when it affects
program delivery
Workshop Outline
 Overview
of social policy issues in the
current political economy
 Examples of policies that are not working
well
 How are policies made and why is it that
they can be so unresponsive to need?
What Can We As Social Workers Do?
Case example of policy change
Policy change in Alberta
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Identifying priorities, opportunities and
building support
Overview of Social Policy in
the Current Political Economy
 Globalization
 Neo-liberalism
 Retrenchment
of social policy
 Less resources
 Increasing emphasis on individual rather
than collective
Alberta Issues?
Understanding the policy
context
 How
are policies made and why is it that
they can be so unresponsive to need?
Political Priorities
 Shaped
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by
the ideology of the government
power and influence
Public perceptions
Media influence
External pressures
Policy made in silos
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Policy developed in departments with specific
mandates
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Policies not aligned
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Government structures not designed to address
complex lives
not complementary - conflicting
Budgetary constraints
 Lack of understanding between policy makers
and program delivery
Examples of policies that
conflict
 Social
assistance and training policy
 Housing and labour market development
policy
 Immigration and professional credentials
 Others?
What Can we do?
 We
can learn to live with policy constraints
and work around them as best as possible
 Examples?
We can work to change policy
 From
the inside
 From the outside
 both
Case Example:
Manitoba Community Economic
Development Policy Framework
The Ingredients
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An NDP Government
An active Community Economic Development
community
Community developed principles
Government insiders supportive of CED
A National CED organization with growing
membership and a membership driven policy
framework
The Structure
 Community
and Economic Development
Committee of Cabinet
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Central government agency
Power and ability to work across government
departments
Staff with background and interest in CD and
CED and social justice
The Process
 A team
of policy staff guided by a steering
committee of respected community
practitioners
Defining CED
 Community
driven process that combines
social, economic and environmental goals
to build healthy and economically viable
communities
 Focus is on poverty alleviation and social
inclusion
CCEDNet
 Best
Practices
 Policy framework
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3 priorities
• Building Capacity in the Community
• Developing Human Capital
• Building Financial Capital
Local Knowledge
 Combining
the knowledge and expertise of
CCEDNet with local wisdom
 The ‘neechi’ principles
The ‘Neechi’ Principles
 Grounded
in community economic
development theory - building local
economic linkages to build local
economies
 Developed by an Aboriginal worker co-op
in Winnipeg’s inner city (grocerystore)
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Local employment
Local ownership and decision making
Local economic linkages
Re-investment of profits in communities
Local knowledge and skill development
Positive environmental impact
Health and well being
Promotion of public health
Neighbhourhood stability and community
cohesion
Human dignity
Mutual aid support among organizations
Manitoba Framework
 Integrated
the Neechi principles and the 3
CCEDNet objectives into a policy
framework
 One
additional principle added to address
the critical concern that department policy
is developed in silos and this is not helpful
for the multifaceted nature of community
development
 Interdepartmental
and
Intergovernmental Collaboration
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Improve interdepartmental and
intergovernmental communication, joint
planning and cooperative program delivery
in order to provide the best possible
services to the people of Manitoba
CCEDNet objectives
 Community
Capacity
 Human Capital
 Financial Capital
 Building
greater community capacity
 Nurturing individual and community
pride, self-reliance and leadership
 Enhancing knowledge and skills
 Developing businesses that are
responsive to social, economic and
environmental needs
 Fostering balanced, equitable and
sustainable economic development
Positive Outcomes -policy
change
 Neighbourhoods Alive!
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Provides core funding - 5 year agreements to neighbhourhood renewal organizations in
targeted communities
Provides core funding to other organizations
that focus on building capacity in vulnerable
communities
 Aboriginal
Justice Inquiry - Child
Welfare Initiative
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Devolving control over child welfare to First
Nations
Northern Hydro Agreements
 Training
and employment for local
residents built into hydro development
agreements
Important overall benefit
 Has
given community organizations
something tangible to hold government
accountable
Ongoing Challenges
 Awareness
and implementation has been
relatively minimal
 Policy continues to be developed in silos
 Departments not accountable for
compliance with CED
Next Steps
 CED
policy framework needs to be
imbedded in legislation
 CED principles need to be part of
departmental planning and accountability
Policy Change in Alberta
What are your ingredients?
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Strategic policy priorities - are there policies that
need to change that might be ‘winnable’
 Opportunities - timing is everything
 Is it possible to build broad based support on a
specific issue and move action forward?
Table discussion
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Pick one priority policy area and build an action
plan for change
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The ingredients -supporters and potential supporters
(political, bureaucrats, advocacy groups, community
organizations, business)
Consideration should be given to what is doable
in the specific political environment