Paula Acosta: Colombia's turbulent past makes government delivery all the more challenging
Share articlePaula Acosta: Once you have committed to a target then you have to stay true to it
Share articlePaula Acosta: You think very differently when you actually have to implement policies
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Turning an idea into impact - delivery in other words - is the most important challenge that any government faces. In Colombia, however, it is a challenge underpinned by deep-rooted complexities arising from our turbulent past. Although ours is a country fast emerging into a new era of peace and prosperity - we are now the fourth biggest economy in Latin America and have a growth rate of about 4% - achieving lasting peace, particularly in light of the recent referendum result, is our number one priority.
I have been serving as the main adviser to Colombia's chief of staff - first María Lorena Gutiérrez and, more recently, Luis Guillermo Velez - since 2014. As their top aide on government implementation and execution, I oversee a broad array of policies, helping guide them from drawing board to delivery.
When you introduce a policy, everyone is working towards a common goal. But when problems appear, the common tendency is to try and change the target. And once you have committed to a target then you have to stay true to it - regardless of the desire to opt for something easier to achieve. After all, this is not rocket science. We are in the business of not only designing policy but also implementing it, and that is the change in mindset that we are encouraging.
To this end, I have learned that it is critical for colleagues at the centre of government to avoid claiming credit for delivery successes. This is because we are in the back office but the agencies and ministries are on the front line. But while it is important for them to receive the credit, it also means that they should receive the criticism, if that's necessary.
Coordination, then, is vital. In Colombia this means that there is a common line of action running from the president's office in Bogotá right across the country's territories - and this is not straightforward because each territory is different. But at the same time we are also thinking about how we are going to deliver in the post-conflict regions. Since we have been so successful in the last five years in moving people out of poverty, the task now is to maintain this momentum within a challenging global economic context - Latin America is not immune from external pressures.
My past experience of working in senior positions in ministries has been hugely beneficial. This is because you think very differently when you work in a finance department or a planning ministry - or any of the ministries that actually have to implement policies. You can't be satisfied with just having a good idea. Instead, you have to figure out the whole process from start to finish and anticipate what the potential problems will be and what regulations you'll have to change to make things happen. It's not just policy design but also thinking in terms of implementing the policy in the field.
There is little doubt that the need to keep developing the tools and techniques that help governments implement their policies will never fade from the scene. Technical analysis is important but it has to go all the way - from understanding the problem to actually implementing the solution. It's what the voters expect - and what the voters deserve.
