Policy exam I

what is policy analysis

• investigation of alternative policy options

why is policy analysis important in government?

• governments have to solve complicated public problems

• gives policy makers evidence to compare solutions

• uses qualitative and quantative

what are the different types of policy analysis?

• descriptive (after)- retrospective, describes what happened in the past

• prospective (before)- predictive, projects future results

what is the difference between descriptive, normative, and meta ethics?

• descriptive- describes ethical beliefs (right/wrong, doesn’t define)

• normative- guidelines for deciding what should be done (good/right)

• meta ethics- examines logic, meaning, justification

ethical principles

• do no harm

• use appropriate methods

• avoid conflicts of interests

• seek long run positive benefits

steps used in policy analysis

• define problem

• establish evaluation criteria

• identify alternative policies

• evaluate alternative policies

• distinguish among alternative policies

• monitor implemented policy

why is problem definition important?

• prevents solving wrong problem

• makes a vague problem more specific and measurable

• takes into account the values of affected groups

steps used in defining a problem

• think about the problem

• delineate the boundaries

• develop a fact base

• list goals and objectives

• identify the policy envelope

• display potential costs and benefits

• review the problem statement

what specific criteria should an analyst use when evaluating a policy?

• technical feasibility

• economic and financial possibility

• political viability

• administrative operability

technical feasibility

measures if proposed policy alternatives will achieve its intended goals and objectives, if the physical technology exists/works

economic and financial possibility

evaluates the policy’s economic impacts, monetary costs, net benefits, overall resource allocation efficiency, if the funds exist

political viability

measures acceptability, appropriateness, legality, equity (fairness)

administrative operability

if agency has capability, competence, resources to carry out policy