Synthesis essay. Nonlinear Policymaking Process. Life Sciences Essay

Synthesis Essay
Name
Institution
Synthesis Essay
Introduction
The issue of policies relating to environmental protection and conservation is one that has gained the attention of many people from various parts of the world. Generally, the policy-making process is quite a complex one and in most cases, these policies in many developing countries tend to ignore their impact on society and the economy. “Understanding Environmental Policy Processes” by Keeley and Scoones, “Understanding the Policy Processes” by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), “Integrated Policymaking for Sustainable Development” by UNEP and, “An Introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources” by IUCN are some of the articles that are interested in the environmental policies.
In “Understanding Environmental Policy Processes”, the article focuses on the important role of politics in the policy-making process. It also looks at how policy-making in developing countries is largely influenced by perceived crises. Thirdly, in this article, policymaking is a non-linear process. The article “Understanding the Policy Processes” on the other hand focuses on the complex nature of environmental problems. The author in this article sees the traditional policymaking model as being unrealistic. The article also emphasizes the importance of actor networks in the policymaking process. In “Integrated Policymaking for Sustainable Development”, the article arguers for the need for integrated policymaking. Here, the environment is seen as essential for sustaining the economy and society and thus advocates for the policy to consider this fact. The fourth article, “An Introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources” also focuses on the integration of the environmental policies and the society and economy. Ideally, the environmental policies to be made must be to the benefit of the people living in it. With this in mind, this paper aims to compare the arguments presented in these articles to understand in what areas the authors agree or disagree. Generally, the articles compare in the fact that policymaking process is nonlinear, that there should be integration of environmental, social and economic dimensions in the policymaking process and that politics play an important role in policy and.
Nonlinear Policymaking Process
The process of developing an environmental policy is a nonlinear and complex one. Both Keeley and Scoones, and the report by Institute of Development Studies (IDS) agree on this fact in their articles. The authors in the two articles note that traditionally, it was assumed that those in authority made decisions on the policies. Here, the process simply involved setting the agenda, making the decision and then implementing it (Keeley & Scoones). However, concerning this, Keeley and Scoones point out that there are many actions and decisions that are involved in making policies, which make the process more complex than it is assumed to be. They also add that policy is a political process, meaning that a number of people belonging to different interest groups are in...