What Is Policy Implementation? In general, policy implementation
can be considered the process of carrying out a government decision
(Berman, 1978). In defining policy implementation, it is useful to make the
conceptual distinction between the policy implementation process and policy
outcomes, even though these are interactive in practice (O’Toole, 2000).
The process involves action on the behalf of the policy, whereas policy outcomes
refer to the ultimate effect on the policy problem. Ottoson and Green
(1987) suggest that “implementation is an iterative process in which ideas,
expressed as policy, are transformed into behavior, expressed as social
action” (p. 362). The social action transformed from the policy is typically
aimed at social betterment and most frequently manifests as programs, procedures,
regulations, or practices