7 July 2008 - SPA508 Policy Analysis & Design Overview of course Policy Analysis & Policy Analysts...
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Transcript of 7 July 2008 - SPA508 Policy Analysis & Design Overview of course Policy Analysis & Policy Analysts...
7 July 2008 - SPA508 Policy Analysis & Design
Overview of coursePolicy Analysis & Policy AnalystsComponents of policy processDefining policy problems
The course
Public Policy: What government chooses to do or not to do
Policy Analysis• Systematically produces/examines empirical
(based on observation, capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment) data to
• Analyze & present alternatives to solve public problems
Course Topic Plan I
First third guided by Bartech's steps• Define the problem• Assemble some evidence• Select criteria• Constructing alternatives
Next third considers policy instruments• Programs• Regulations
Course Plan II
Final Portion• Specific skills – cover basic requirements
• Program Evaluation• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Presenting findings
Pedagogy
Power points cover relevant material posted at http://spa508.wikispaces.com
Short assignments (posted on wiki)• To apply course concepts• To generate class discussion & problem
solving• Graded on quality (see note 2 on syllabus)
Integrative assignment: action memo
Course Objectives
See syllabus for specific objectives Select strategies/tools to manage inputs (identify
problems, advance problem definitions, identify opportunities and barriers), select alternatives, track outputs, and assess impacts
Select criteria to compare alternatives, track outputs, and assess outcomes
Write effective action memos
Introductions & Questions
About you• Name• Work, if applicable• Area of policy interest• Career aspirations (within the next 5 years)
Opinion about class starting time 6, 6:30, or 7:00
Questions
Public Policy & Policy Analysis
Public Policy: What government chooses to do or not to do
Policy Problems: Something that can be improved by a public policy
Policy Analysis• Analyze & present alternatives to solve public problems• Provide information to specific decision maker(s)• May suffer from “myopia” b/c of client’s orientation or
time pressure
Observations on Policy Analysis
Frequently associated with economists and economic analysis; focused on costs & monetized benefits
Can be viewed as applying empirical skills to • Examine components of the policy process• Provide decision makers with feedback and
recommendations
Policy Analysts
May work in government offices which include “policy,” “planning” “evaluation” or “budget” in their title
May work in advocacy groups and think tanks
May work in regulated firms to provide information to influence gov’t policy
Think Tanks from Wikipedia I
Organization, institute, corporation, or group that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, science or technology. Funded by gov’t, interest groups, businesses; some derive income from consulting or research.
Think Tanks from Wikipedia II
Supporters see them as them as "one of the main policy actors...assuring a pluralistic, open and accountable process of policy analysis, research, decision-making and evaluation".
Opponents see them as "little more than public relations fronts ... [whose] scholarship serves the advocacy goals of their industry sponsors."
Skills
Know how to gather, organize, and communicate information
Ability to put perceived problems into perspective (a detached view)
Technical skills to improve the prediction of consequences of selecting a given alternative
Understand political environment & organizational behavior to predict feasibility of adoption and successful implementation of a policy
The Policy Process
EvidenceFeedback
Defining Components & Actors Inputs: raw materials of the process
• Includes problems, politics, agendas• Involves policy entrepreneurs
Policy production: inputs are assembled to create a solution• Includes laws, programs, contracts• Involves policy makers
Outputs: what is produced• Benefits received by target population
Outcomes: intended (and unintended) consequences• Winners & losers
Policy Development
Most policy ideas already exist but wait for an opportune time to arise
Policies are part of the universe of ideas that are constantly being debated
Alternative Selection
Why are some policies chosen over others?• Tradeoffs between two values
• Environmental protection vs individual economic well being
• Fiscal concerns• Political feasibility
Evaluation and Feedback
Scientific vs political evaluation What if a program doesn’t work
• What do we mean by “doesn’t work”?• Do we replace the policy?
Why do policies fail• Poor policy design or theory• Disagreements among implementers• Insufficient resources
Public Policy Problems
Problem definition: Strategic representation of a problem
Representations provide evidence of a problem; policy entrepreneurs may use to promote their agenda• Visual images• Stories: describe & represent problems• Causes: reason problem is thought to have
occurred • Quantification of the problem
Some examples
Problems? Policy Problems?• Roughly 25% of Malaysia families do not
have dinner together (Straits Times, 6/7)• Rural farmers are unable get their crops to
urban markets (where they would receive greater profits)
• 200,000 Filipinos are living in Sabah illegally
A problem definition
In 2000 alternate story lines explained why Gore lost Florida• Organization of a ballot in a key county• Defective voting machines• Disenfranchisement of felons• Votes for 3rd party candidate• Questions about absentee voting
Each story implies a different solution and different winners and losers
The Importance of a Problem Definition: An Example
On May 12, 2008 approximately 87,000 people in China died as a result of an earthquake
A problem definition implicitly or explicit address a cause that public policy can address
Complete this sentence• 87,000 died in the May 12 earthquake
because . .
Considering you definitions
What evidence might support your definition?
What action does each imply • Programs• Laws/Regulation• Something else
Written Assignment for 14 July Creating and Promoting a Problem Definition Due: 14 July 2008 – 6 p.m. 3 % of Final
Grade Select a policy problem you are interested in
and briefly define the problem.• What evidence supports this definition?• Give two other alternate definitions of the problem.• For each definition, including your own, suggest at
least two stakeholders (people, agencies, groups) that might either support or oppose this definition. Briefly indicate why they would support or oppose it
Written Assignment 21 July Interview a policy analyst or consumer (referred to as an
informant) 5% of final grade Name and brief job description on your informant (please
attach card) Brief summary of the informants training How does the informant decide what policy problems (or
issues) to work on? If the informant is a policy analyst
• What steps does s/he take to study a problem• What tools does s/he commonly use?• What tools or skills does s/he consider most valuable?• What advice would s/he give a student interest in a career as a public
administration
21 July Assignment (Cont’d)
If the informant is a policy consumer• How does s/he go about researching a problem?• What resources does s/he find most valuable? • What types of analysis or research presentations does
s/he find most useful? Why?• What types of analysis or research presentations
does s/he consider of little or no value? Why? What advice would s/he give a student interest in a career as a public administration