Abstract
Using a case study method, the policy formation and implementation of litigation based system-wide reform of the Washington State and New Jersey child welfare agencies was examined within the context of the policy instruments component of Hasenfeld and Brock’s (1991) political-economy model. Primary findings and recommendations for improving the implementation process include: (a) clarifying weak and ambiguous authority structures by creating a policy agenda linking authority structures to specific plan components; (b) mitigating misalignment and under-resourcing of policy components by stipulating resource requirements within the litigated settlement agreement provisions; (c) strengthening the implementation process by aligning policy action steps and outcome measurements with available data sources and capabilities; and (d) structuring incremental change into the program design for policy reform to increase flexibility to respond to changing agency needs or unpredictable events.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 162-187 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Journal of Policy Practice |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2 Jul 2016 |
Keywords
- Case study analysis
- child welfare agency
- child welfare reform
- class action lawsuit
- litigated reform
- litigation
- performance
- policy implementation
- public administration
- public policy