PJPA Volume 66 (2022): Now online!

We are delighted to share with you the latest issue (Volume 66) of our Journal.

The articles in this volume exemplify the continuing dominance of the sub-specialization of public policy and program administration (PPPA) in the PJPA in the last three decades. This volume captures change in several aspects and levels of policymaking and program administration.

Comparative and single case-study approaches also provide nuance to PPPA in the areas of environment (plastic use), process improvement (reorganization), road infrastructure, salary structure, and early childhood care.

Two comparative and national-level analyses were presented in the articles of Hortillo, and Basilio and Rivera. Changes in the salary structure were documented and compared by Jose Neil M. Hortillo. In his paper “Comparative analysis of Salary Standardization Law under four administrations: The Philippines experience,” change was illustrated alongside varying inflation rates and salaries in the private sector. Revisions in the design and implementation are accordingly recommended to address the widening gap between lowest- and top-ranked public servants.

In another paper, “Promoting collaborative governance through convergence programs in road infrastructure development,” adjustments in coordination apparatuses between and among government agencies are likewise recommended by Enrico L. Basilio and Rafael April S. Rivera to promote a stronger road infrastructure development. Using the case of two government agencies, a collaborative arrangement through a convergence program shows that multiple objectives, such as increased public investments, enhanced network connectivity, and increased tourist arrivals, can be attained.

To further describe transformations at the local level, three articles underscore several causes or mechanisms in local policy implementation. In the paper “Factors shaping policy adoption on single-use plastic bag regulation in Philippine cities and municipalities” of John Philip D. Garcia, substantial shift in the adoption of single-use plastic bags among local governments is explained as a function of flooding hazard and waste generation. Kathleen Keisha R. Constantino, in her paper “Examining ECCD structures and service delivery mechanisms in local government during COVID-19,” analyzed early childhood care and development interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and found that positive changes are possible through an institutionalized, collaborative, and capacitated sector.

Another paper, “Knowledge creation and Valenzuela City: A case study of the 3S in public service program,” explains how phronetic leadership—which usually cascades from the chief executive, being the key driver of knowledge conversion—mainly drives changes in the service delivery system. In this paper, Angelo Rafael B. Nacionales, Jufflin A. Calalo, John Carlos V. Comprendio, Samantha A. Lopez, Marl Francis Manzano, and Gemmarie T. Zuñiga, also suggested that such a shift in the system were supported by all the other actors in the system, comprising the middle managers, frontliners, clients and suppliers.

Lastly, in the essay “Imperatives of foresight and futures thinking in public policy” by Lizan E. Perante-Calina, phronetic leadership is likewise propositioned to yield changes if coupled with futures thinking and collaborative knowledge production.

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