Iraq’s Pressing Need to Legally Binding Conceptual and Procedural Models for Public Policy Making

Abstract

With the absence of any legal text to impose any rational approach to formulate, implement, and evaluate public policies in Iraq, official decision makers and policy drafters tend to improvise as they can’t be held responsible for whatever policies they draft and/or adopt. The inevitable results of such a demerit are inefficient public services delivery, corrupted public sector known for being one of the most corrupted in the world, and thus unsatisfied citizens. What is really needed for the federal and local governments of Iraq to enhance their performance is unified legally binding conceptual and procedural models for formulating, implementing, and evaluating public policies they adopt to address Iraq’s public issues. This chapter is an applied study of the public policy making process currently practiced in Iraq. It, in addition, reviews and elaborates on the relevant legal framework of Iraq. It also presents and recommends a rational conceptual model specially customized for this country’s situation to be legislated and adopted by Iraqi governments. It also recommends translating this conceptual model into a procedural model by which clear responsibilities and specific time-frames are explained and imposed.