Worthy public policy is driven by data and empirical evidence. The process of
data-driven public policy making must be improved significantly to achieve the
objectives and goals of Jordan’s economic vision 2033, modernization of the
political system, and the administrative reform plans.
اضافة اعلان
This requires a
few prerequisites.
First, an
undeterred belief in the policy itself, which in this case, are the three
components of reform. First and foremost, leaders of the public sector and its
institutions that should be interested in, and are entrusted with the
implementation of the vision must hold this belief. It is essential for the ministerial
steering committee to make sure that the “troops are in it to win it” not to
obstruct it in seamless bureaucratic power pathways.
The enthusiasm
that accompanied the making of the vision’s components has abated. We have very
little time to turn things around, and much less patience among the
overwhelming majority of Jordanians, as polls have been showing for a while.
Second, useful
public policies need reliable, validated, accurate, relevant, and timely data.
The economic vision document expects the private sector to contribute 70
percent of the JD41 billion investment needed to realize the 2033 vision, yet,
the data is not made publicly available in due time for entrepreneurs and
companies to make investment decisions. Comparatively speaking, in all
competitive economies around the region, including in UAE, Saudi Arabi, and
Israel, data is publicly available for investors and research firms to do their
research for investment decisions.
… useful public policies need reliable, validated, accurate, relevant, and timely data.
Third, public
policies require a data-driven performance evaluation. It is not enough to have
whimsical “judgmental” evaluation. Judgements are for those who are neither
capable of data-driven scientific thinking nor desire it. The outcome of
judgmental evaluation is more of the same impediments to private sector investment
and growth. Therefore, the performance of committees that were formed to
realize the vision should be systemized, digitized, and made publicly
available.
Fourth, sectoral
data must be published on daily, weekly, and monthly basis. It is of very little
value to have sectoral data published a year or two after its collection. With
the digital streamlining of data collection, realities are changing faster than
public sector bureaucracy realizes. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize
data management and make it available.
Fares Braizat in the chairman of NAMA Strategic
Intelligence Solutions and former minister of youth fares@namasis.com
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