Notions of policy effectiveness and implications for policy design: insights from public-private partnerships in India

The objective of policy design is to devise policies for the achievement of predetermined policy goals. Their effectiveness hinges on a determination of what constitutes policy success, and assessments of the suitability of different design configurations in attaining the intended outcomes. Failure to clearly specify policy goals and ascertain policy success (or failure) can thus render them ineffective. Goal ambiguities are particularly problematic in the context of collaborative policy instruments like Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) due to the multiplicity of stakeholder interests. Using the example of P3s in India’s healthcare sector, this paper points to inherent contradictions in the policy expectations of different actors, and how policies which neglect an appreciation of the agendas of diverse constituencies are inherently unworkable and produce outcomes which are inequitable and inconsistent with their underlying motivations. By situating these cases against the academic discussion on frame-multiplicity and policy success, the paper highlights why policymakers must consider these different, sometimes conflicting ideas of effectiveness, and how they can be reconciled through proactive design efforts, so that policies are sustainable and effective in meeting their overarching goals.