7 July SPA508 Policy Analysis & Design Overview of course Policy Analysis & Policy Analysts Components of policy process Defining 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 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 Evidence Feedback ProductsOutputsOutcomesInputs

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 3 rd 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