Hildreth, R.J.

English

Research Papers in Economics

THE FUTURE OF EXTENSION  PUBLIC
POLICY EDUCATION
R.  J.  Hildreth
Malnaging Director, Farm Foundation
One way to look at the future  is to prophesy, but to do this well,
I  would  need  to  have  a  direct  line  to  some  generally  accepted
higher authority. The futurists have another method of viewing the
future,  but  I  find  I  do  not  understand  their  methodology  well
enough  to use  their technique.  Still another way of looking  at the
future  is projection and extrapolations  of trends, but this is difficult
to  apply to  something  as  complex  as  public policy education.
Thus,  the  framework  for  my  analysis  is  a  basic  concept  of
economics-supply  and demand.  I  seek  to  answer  questions  like
the  following:  What are  the forces that create a demand for exten-
sion  public  policy  education?  How  are  these  forces  changing?
What determines  the supply of extension public  policy education?
How  does  the  supply  response  function  change  over time?  How
are  supply  and demand  brought  into balance?  This framework,  in
its present stage of development,  is like a sketchy road map show-
ing only one or two main highways.  Such a map is not too helpful in
finding  a  specific  street address.
AN  ANALYTICAL  FRAMEWORK
Society and individuals want public policy education only if it is
of value  to  them.  The  value of public  policy education  has to  be
determined  from the  perspective  of the  learner,  not  the  teacher.
Since  public  policy  education,  by  its  nature,  involves  group  or
society decision making,  I focus on value to  society.  To provide a
better  explanation  and  prediction,  the  analysis  would  have  to
reflect the  reality that different  groups have  different  interests and
varying  degrees  of power.
The success  in measuring the returns  to society  from increases
in  knowledge  in  the  agricultural  production  sciences  is  creating  a
demand  for more  precise evaluation of the  returns from social  sci-
ence  research  and  education,  including  public  policy  education.
But the returns  to  investment  in  public  policy education are  more
difficult  to  measure  than  returns  to investment  in  production  re-
search  and education.
The first step in an attempt to value public policy education  is to
126identify the  sources of demand for that education.  The demand for
public policy education  and in the other social sciences,  as well  as
in related  professions  such  as law and business,  is  derived  from a
demand for improved institutional performance.  Both institutional
innovation  and  institutional  efficiency  are  included  in  institutional
performance.  Institutional innovation  refers to the development of
new institutions, for example,  the development of individual  prop-
erty rights.  Institutional  efficiency  is concerned  with making  pres-
ent  institutions  operate  better,  for  example,  with  a  given  set  of
property rights,  improving the  operation  of the  land market.
The demand  for improved  institutional  performance  may arise
from  a  wide  variety of changes  in  the  social  or natural  environ-
ment.  For  example,  Douglass  North  and  Robert  Paul  Thomas
have attempted to explain the economic  growth of Western Europe
between  900  and  1700  primarily  in  terms of innovation  in  the  in-
stitutions which govern property rights.  A  major source of institu-
tional innovation  was,  in their view,  the  rising pressure  of popula-
tion  against  increasingly  scarce  resources.  Theodore  W.  Schultz,
focusing on more recent economic  history, has identified  the rising
economic  value  of man  during  the  process  of economic  develop-
ment  as  a primary  source  of demand  for institutional  innovation.
The  North-Thomas  and  Schultz  models  of the  demand  for  in-
stitutional innovation  suggest the  possibility of a theory of induced
institutional change similar to Yujiro Hayami and Vernon Ruttan's
theory  of induced  innovation  in  agricultural  production.  This  ap-
proach  also  might  lead  to  more  precise  identification  of the  link
between the  demand for improvement in institutional  performance
and  the  demand  for  public  policy  education.  Advances  in  public
policy  education,  in  response  to  the  demand  for  more  effective
institutions, would reduce the costs of institutional innovation, just
as advances  in knowledge  in the  biological  sciences  and in  agricul-
tural technology  have reduced  the costs of technical  innovation  in
agriculture.
The supply of public policy education  is a function of advances
in  knowledge  useful for  policy  making  in  the  social  sciences  and
related  professions  (law  and  business).  A  second  factor  affecting
supply is the amount of resources  devoted to  public policy  educa-
tion. The available  resources depend  upon the view of the demand
for  public  policy  education  by  administrators  and  public  officials
who  allocate  or appropriate  funds for public  policy education.
Administrators  play  a major  role  in  balancing  the  supply  and
demand for policy education.  They  interpret signals given  by soci-
127ety and  groups  which  desire  public policy  education  and  allocate
resources  for the  delivery  of public  policy education.
SUPPLY  AND  DEMAND  IN  EXTENSION  PUBLIC  POLICY  EDUCATION
The demand for Cooperative  Extension public policy education
is derived  from  a perceived  need for institutional  change.  The de-
mand for extension  public  policy education  may be inhibited  by  a
belief that extension  is  not capable  of delivering  useful public  pol-
icy education  in a specific area. Extension has long delivered useful
education  in agricultural  policy.  Recent  extension efforts  in  com-
munity  and  rural  development  are  providing  evidence  of
extension's  ability  to  deliver on a broader range  of issues.
Extension was concerned  with institutional  innovation  as early
as the thirties  and even earlier decades.  The formation  of many of
the  general  farm  organizations  and  commodity  groups  as  well  as
cooperatives  was largely due to the efforts of extension.  However,
the early  extension workers  were advocates  of farmers  rather than
educators  in  the  current  mode  of  public  policy  educators.  The
issues-alternatives-consequences  style  has  demonstrated  its  use-
fulness  for  educational  work  on  farm  policy  and  community  de-
velopment.
"Effective"  demand  for  extension  education  in  general  has
usually come  from groups  rather than individuals.  It seems  to  me
that  the  genius  of extension  has been  its ability to respond  to the
educational  needs of individuals  in  a group  setting.  Where  groups
did  not  exist,  extension  organized  them,  for  example,  coopera-
tives,  home  demonstration  clubs,  4-H  Clubs,  and  many  others.
Thus, on issues where groups or power clusters  with a concern for
the  issue  are  lacking,  "effective"  demand  for  extension  policy
education  is limited.  Examples  include consumer interests, market-
ing,  and broad  environmental  concerns.
Organizing  groups  for  extension  policy  education  presents  a
problem.  Due  to  value  positions  or  satisfaction  with  present
policies,  there  may not  be much support  for, and on occasion  op-
position to, education on certain issues by individuals  or members
of a power cluster.  However,  little will  be accomplished  on issues
where  there  is  no  demand  for policy  education  from established
groups or from newly formed  groups.
The amount of resources  committed  to public policy education
and extension  is difficult  to  determine.  It cannot  be measured  by
the  number of people with  public  policy in  their title.  Carroll  Bot-
tum  pointed  out  in  his  1975  fellows  lecture  at  the  American  Ag-
128ricultural  Economics  Association:  "The  citizen  today  not  only
wants to know the consequences of various solutions on equity and
efficiency  but  also  on supply,  and environmental  programs,  secu-
rity and  freedom,  or how  much  regulation  will  be involved.  This
makes  it mandatory that the policy analyzed bring in the contribut-
ing disciplines."  Public policy education  can and  is being  done by
home economists,  4-H  workers,  and area agronomy  specialists  as
well  as  public  policy  specialists.
One of the  methods of increasing  extension  public  policy  edu-
cation  is  pointing  out opportunities  for  all  extension  workers  to
assist  society  in  analyzing  the  consequences  of alternatives  and
providing  training to help  them.  Although  much effective  training
for  other extension  workers  has  been  and  is  being  provided  by
policy specialists,  many other opportunities  still remain.
Extension  administrators  play  a  major  role  in  balancing  the
supply  and  demand  for  extension  agricultural  policy  education.
The  demand  for  extension  public  policy  education  by  various
groups  is rarely consistent  or clearly  discernible.  In  allocating  re-
sources,  the  administrator  must  interpret  often  conflicting  and
fuzzy expressions of need.  No one individual in the extension  sys-
tem  makes  all  the  decisions.  Decision  makers  include  adminis-
trators  at the  county level,  district  supervisors,  assistant directors
and directors of state extension services,  and administrators  of the
Extension  Service  of the  USDA.  This  process  is  sometimes  af-
fected by legislators  at the state and federal level and officials  in the
USDA and  the universities.
The  mechanism for balancing  supply  and demand of extension
policy education  may itself require institutional  change.  More  pre-
cise knowledge  of costs and returns  to society of extension  public
policy education  would  be helpful  to  the balancing  process.
THE  FUTURE OF  EXTENSION  PUBLIC  POLICY EDUCATION
We  need to  keep in  mind that  institutional  innovation  is differ-
ent from institutional  efficiency.
Looking  toward  the  future,  we  find  significant  evidence  that
society  will increase  its demand  for public policy  education  about
institutional  innovation.  Robert  Heilbroner's  book,  An  Inquiry
into the Hmuman Prospect, is an eloquent statement of the need for
institutional  innovation.  The  need  for institutional  innovation  has
been  a recurring theme  in the writings  of Harold  Breimyer during
the  last few  years.  A  number of the  presentations  at this  confer-
ence have focused sharply on the need for institutional innovation.
129It  is  difficult  to  tell  from  the  felt  needs  expressed  by  society
whether  the  situation  calls  for  improvement  of  institutional
efficiency  or  for  institutional  innovation.  If the  public  policy
educator focuses  on "fine tuning"  of institutions,  that  is,  improv-
ing institutional  efficiency,  he  is  accused of trying to patch up the
major problems of society with "band aids."  If on the other hand,
he  strives  for  institutional  innovation,  he  is  accused  of  being  a
radical.  This  is likely to become  a growing dilemma for the exten-
sion  public  policy  educator  in  the  future  as  the  need  for  institu-
tional change  increases  the  demand  for public  policy education.
An  additional source of demand  for improved  institutional per-
formance,  and  thus  induced  demand  for  extension  public  policy
education,  is  the  growing  interdependency  of  the  world's
economies  and  societies.  Communication  technology  and  mass
distribution are  important contributing factors. This growing inter-
dependency  leads to questions  about  the adequacy  of governmen-
tal  and market  institutions.
As  Don  Paarlberg  has instructed  us,  the  policy agenda for ag-
riculture no longer is determined  by the old agenda committee. The
power  cluster  for  agriculture  now  includes  consumer  organiza-
tions,  labor organizations, environmentalists,  and others. Thus, to
obtain agricultural  policy that benefits  society  and farmers,  public
policy education must be provided for groups which  have not been
in the  traditional audiences  of extension  policy educators.
Let me  close this  discussion by making  a  series of brief state-
ments  about what  I  think  will be a  productive  state  policy educa-
tion  program  in the  next decade.  Such  a program  will:
1.  Be  responsive  to  educational  needs,  both  recognized  and
still unrecognized  by existing audiences.
2.  Be responsive  to the  educational  needs of nontraditional ex-
tension audiences  and perhaps  organize  new groups of individuals
in  such  audiences.
3.  Provide  education,  not services  or  political  action,  for both
new  and old audiences.
4.  Provide  leadership  for  policy  education  in  all  extension
programs,  including  training of field  staff and  other  specialists  in
the subject matter and  methods  of policy  education.
5.  Point out what  difference  the  program has  made.
6.  Identify  needs  for  new  knowledge  in  such  a  way  that  re-
searchers  will be more  willing  to do  the research.
1307.  Contain  policy  education  about  institutional  innovation  as
well  as institutional  efficiency.  This  implies educational  efforts to
increase public awareness of institutional  innovation  as an alterna-
tive to improving  institutional  efficiency.
8.  Be  evaluated  against  the  criterion  of  citizen  educational
needs,  not the  policy education  programs of other states.
9.  Be viewed by extension students,  administrators,  and disci-
plinary  co-workers  as  filled  with  scholarship.  It  is  said that  what
the  world needs  is love.  I agree.  But since  the history of mankind
reveals that there has never been enough love, perhaps  scholarship
will help.
131

THE FUTURE OF EXTENSION PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION

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