Implementation and Language Policy

The 'Achilles Heel' of Language Policy

Handout for LING 540 Language Policy
and EDUC 637 Multilingual Education in South/Southeast Asia

Implementation in language policy consists of the measures (plans, strategies, timetables, mechanisms) that provide the authoritative backbone (including financial rewards and resources) to achieve the goals of the language policy, and the motivation to use the language by the people affected.
Some people refer to this as ``Carrot and Stick", the carrot being the rewards and incentives, and the stick being the enforcement: the disincentives or penalties.
Implementation may also be highly dependent on funding, which is always a sticky issue. Funds may be available when the policy is first promulgated, and then may dwindle, as other priorities come to the fore. Or, there may be a change of government, with different priorities, or there may be passive-aggressive footdragging.
Implementation also requires good communication, and a clear chain of command, so that various parties are aware of who is responsible for what. Failure to communicate adequately will hinder implementation as well. And of course it helps if the language used is clear and concise, rather than burocratic, vapid inanities.
In study after study of language policies, various scholars point out that no matter how benign or enlightened a language policy may be in its form, it needs to be implemented carefully or it will certainly fail to achieve the outcome its planners intended, and will thus just remain empty rhetoric. And language policy implementation failure even makes news headlines, as in this recent story about Nigeria.
Implementation is then simply the plan by which a policy is to be put into practice--
- The steps that will be taken, and by whom-- who will be in charge to make sure that things happen as planned, and that passing the buck will be prevented.
- The bodies or organs of the state that will have the authority to take these steps (and enforce the policy if plan isn't followed).
- Implementation requires vigilant monitoring to see that all the important issues are being looked after: the timetable, the enforcement, the funding, the record-keeping, etc.
- The resources (funding, publication, teacher training, cost of evaluation, whatever) that are available for the policy, and
- The timetable or calendar according to which various aspects of the plan will be expected to take effect.
- Carefully constructed policies may also involve evaluation, i.e. a way to check periodically to see if the policy is being implemented as planned,
- And if not, what measures can be taken to rectify the shortcomings.
- An article that appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the topic of globalization of university education emphasized many of the same issues:
  Many plans fizzle at the implementation stage because there is no campus coordination or accountability for outcomes. Good intentions, broad consensus, and intricate plans are insufficient without sustained leadership and periodic formal assessments of progress. In addition to reallocating resources, the plan will have to garner financial support over the long haul — grants, contracts, endowments, and gifts — and that will also require an organized effort. An appropriate administrative infrastructure, including perhaps the appointment of a senior official responsible for internationalization, must be put in place to coordinate the effort, communicate relevant information to internal and external constituencies, and foster collaboration.
  [...] "A plan that will ultimately stand the test of time is one that allows some flexibility while remaining true to the mission and global vision of the institution. Changes in leadership, emerging opportunities, unforeseen challenges, the appearance of a major donor, or other unanticipated developments could significantly alter the landscape. Good plans should not only accommodate such changes but take advantage of them — allowing for timely, carefully considered course corrections without losing sight of the vision. A successful plan transforms how an institution operates, how it sees itself, and how it is perceived by others."
  From A Roadmap for Creating the Global Campus by Assistant Provost for International Education, University of Pennsylvania, JoAnn S. McCarthy.
  http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i43/43b01201.htm?=attw
- And a quote from former President Clinton, in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson, September 27, 2007:
  "Clinton: One of the things that I was frustrated about when I was president, was that I had all these great ideas, and I'd issue all these executive orders, and then you can never be 100% sure that they were implemented. And one of the great things I like about running my own foundation is, I can oversee the implementation."
- Another quote that says "Implementation is Everything":
  Money is usually the most common constraint. In business, financial constraints are well understood because most people can personally relate to the way limited funds make some alternatives unaffordable. Also, an acceptable level of quality is often a constraint. You can do many tasks cheaply and more leisurely if you don't care about the resulting quality, but quality requirements can dictate how much time and money have to go into the task.
  Implementation is action, putting the chosen alternative work. We might also say that implementation is everything; the best decision will amount to nothing unless it's implemented.
  Follow-up is the weakest and most neglected part of the decisionmaking process, the stage during which good ideas die for lack of attention. Without follow-up on a procedural change, for example, conditions can drift back to the former method soon after implementation. Also, a revised process can contain flaws or inadequacies, so proper follow-up is required to correct such weaknesses. (Charles R. McConnell, http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32723.html)
Conclusion (and a few passing thoughts and pithy bons mots):
- "You can't will the ends without willing the means." (Thomas Friedman, New York Times, 4/7/06).
- "Hope is not a policy." (Madeleine Albright, Pensito Review, Mar. 24, 2006)
- "A country like Russia can not be quickly changed. It is one thing to say something from the podium, but to implement it takes decades. These changes will take 20-25 years." (M. Gorbachev, USA Today, 4/6/06)
Some Bibliography on the subject.

haroldfs@ccat.sas.upenn.edu,

last modified 6/27/07