There are various factors that cause policy implementation to fail and these are discussed below.
3.7.1 Lack of stakeholder engagement
Mthethwa (2012:42), points out that stakeholder participation in policy implementation is influenced by a range of factors, including the context, the policy content and stakeholders’ needs and resources, level of knowledge of the policy, and their relative power and influence. Therefore, a policy may fail if there is a lack of stakeholder engagement (Mthethwa, 2012:42). However, the involvement of stakeholders in implementation of a certain policy can also pose numerous challenges as policy implementation requires joint action in response to new partnerships that did not exist previously (Mthethwa, 2012:42). According to Mthethwa (2012:42), there are cases where stakeholder groups and organisations are not always committed to the same outcomes, but are required to reach agreement to support implementation.
3.7.2 Lack of team work
Muhammad (2014:67) argues that policy implementation may fail if policy implementers do not have the ability to work together as a team. Where there is no team work, policy implementers would encounter problems when taking decisions and also when addressing problems that may arise during the course of implementation (Muhammad, 2014:69). According to Muhammad (2014:70), lack of team work limits the stakeholders’ inclination to share ideas and knowledge on how a particular policy, programme or project could be implemented.
3.7.3 Lack of communication
Lack of communication is another factor that contributes to policy implementation failure (Rahmat, 2015:310). Not communicating or not communicating enough, restricts the sharing of information amongst policy stakeholders about the particular policy being implemented (Rahmat, 2015:309). As a result, the lack of communication between target groups and policy implementers could lead to the implementation of a policy or programme that target groups do not find useful (Rahmat, 2015:309).
3.7.4 Lack of capacity
If policy implementers are not capacitated and do not have the skills to implement a policy, the policy, programme or project can fail. When implementing a policy, the policy implementers should have knowledge about the policy that they are implementing (Rahmat, 2015:309). Lack
of knowledge about the policy being implemented could lead to implementation failure. Implementation usually fails when the policy goals and objectives are not clearly and accurately outlined to policy implementers (Rahmat, 2015:309).
3.7.5 Lack of resources
Rahmat (2015:311) states that lack of human and financial resources can lead to implementation failure. The resources which are available must be effectively and efficiently used for implementation processes (Rahmat, 2015:309). In this regard, the abuse of resources often leads to policy implementation failure (Rahmat, 2015:309).
3.7.6 Lack of public involvement
Public involvement in policy implementation is of crucial importance (Rahmat, 2015:309). It is important to actively involve the public in decision making and policy implementation to avoid implementing programmes, projects and policies that the public is not aware of (Rahmat, 2015:309).
3.7.7 Corruption and fraud
According to Rahmat (2015:309), corruption and fraud is another challenge that has greatly contributed to the failure of policy implementation. The personal use of resources that are supposed to be used for implementing a project, programme or policy by policy implementers or stakeholders, hinders successful policy implementation (Rahmat, 2015:309). Such corruption depletes project, policy or programme resources thus negatively affecting the implementation process (Rahmat, 2015:309).
3.7.8 Lack of commitment and staff shortages
Lack of dedicated staff also hinders successful policy implementation as the staff may not be committed to what they do (Rahmat, 2015:309). According to Rahmat (2015:310), sometimes staff is available but are not fully committed to implementing the policy. There may also be a high rate of absenteeism and, as a consequence, day-to-day implementation activities are not done because of staff shortages. This delays the process of implementation and can sometimes lead to implementation failure (Rahmat, 2015:310). Policy can also fail if there is a shortage of staff to implement that policy (Rahmat, 2015:310)
3.8 Conclusion
Chapter 3 described public policy as the relationship between government and its environment. The decisions in public policy making are made by the government. The policy making process consists of several stages, one of which is policy implementation. Policy implementation refers to the transformation of what is written down in policy documents into reality. This chapter distinguished between the top-down and the bottom-up policy implementation approaches. It is important to note that the top-down approach makes decisions from the top level and ignores public participation whereas the bottom-up approach encourages public participation. The chapter further reveals that policy implementers need to take into consideration various factors in order for the implemented policy to be successful. These factors include stakeholder engagement, team work, good communication and the need to capacitate policy implementers. Factors that hinder successful implementation were also discussed.
CHAPTER 4
POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
4.1 Introduction
People who migrate from one place to the other are regulated by a variety of legislation. Migration can be defined as “the crossing of the boundary of a political or administrative unit for a certain minimum period of time. It includes the movement of refugees, displaced persons, uprooted people as well as economic migrants” (United Nations, 2013:1). This chapter provides the policy and legislative framework for migration. Various frameworks on migration are outlined and discussed beginning with frameworks at the international level, an example of which is the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, This is followed by African (including the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Convention of 1969), regional (including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Facilitation of Movement of Persons of 2005) and South African (amongst others the aforementioned Immigration Act 13 of 2002) frameworks. The chapter ends with an overview of University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) policy regarding international students.