1. INTRODUCTION TO DEBATING DBAT 101

2. What is a Debate?  Contest of ideas:  In relation to a change in policy – Normative debate  Assessment of past or present situations – Judgement debate  We deal mostly with policy debates. One side wants to implement policy “@^$%&!” the other side does not want policy “@^$%&!”

3. Recipe for a policy debate For the team proposing the change...  1. Problem and context:  What is wrong with the world?  2. Model:  What needs to be done to address the problem?  3. Effectiveness:  Show the model will work. Question of “How”  4. Good results:  Demonstrate good outcomes. Question of “Why”

4. As Opposition team... Do as many of the following as possible:  1. Dispute the existence of the problem.  Either outright or attribute to another source.  2. Challenge the efficacy of the model:  Does not address the ‘real’ problem at hand,  Does not ‘work’. Loopholes around model.  Challenge the good outcomes the other team produces.  3. Demonstrate the harms and negative side effects of the model.

5. Advice on creating arguments...  Form a solid and consistent team position:  What values do you support? More government intervention? More individual choice?  Why do you support these values? Why are they good?  Incentives analysis:  What groups of people does our policy affect?  How does our policy affect these different groups?  What behaviour will our model encourage/discourage?  Principled reasoning:  What is the ‘Just’ or ‘Fair’ outcome? Why does our model deliver the best outcome for the most people?