Exam 2 Flashcards
Define policy analysis
systematically analyze a problem
Policy analysis is the study of:
public problems
emerging concerns
proposed policy alternatives
The cyclical chart (life of a policy)
policy legitimation –> policy implementation –> policy evaluation and change –> Problem definition and agenda setting –> Policy formulation
Which 3 parts of the cyclical chart (life of a policy) do policy analysis do?
- Policy evaluation and change
- Problem definition and agenda setting
- Policy formulation
Operational measure/definition
- quantitive
- How would we measure that
Theoretical measure/definition
- Most important
- Qualitative
- What is the essence of something
- Poverty, gun violence
5 evaluative criteria used in policy analysis
- Effectiveness
- Efficiency
- Equity
- Liberty/freedom
- Feasibility
Effectiveness (definition and example - 5 evaluative criteria)
- most common
- Did it work?
- it being policy intervention
Efficiency (definition and example - 5 evaluative criteria)
- most common
- desire to keep cost of government programs under control
B> =C
Equity (definition and example - 5 evaluative criteria)
- Fairness in the distribution of costs, benefits, and risks across the population
- Process equitable: fairness in the input
Liberty/freedom (definition and example - 5 evaluative criteria)
- Democracy specific
- Criteria specific to democracies (where value places on liberty/freedom)
Feasibility (definition and example - 5 evaluative criteria)
- Overall acceptability of a public policy
- Multiple dimensions
Multiple dimensions of feasibility
- Political: elected officials
- Social: To court of public opinion
- Administration: to bureaucratic agencies
- Technical: availability of technology needed to implement policy
Stages in drafting a policy analysis document
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Theory/hypothesis
- Research design
- Results
- Conclusion
Risk assessment
R = P * C
- R=risk - small - seek to minimize risk
- P = Probability an event will occur
- C=cost of event
Forecasting
- What happens to this social problem if we do something
- Procedure for estimating future states of society on basis of prior information about policy problems; if not intervention taken, what will happen?
Cost-benefit analysis
- Want benefits to be greater than or equal to cost
- Dollar of benefit - dollar of cost
- Benefits of policy compared to costs
Cost-effectiveness analysis
- Same as cost-benefit; don’t monetize benefits
- Given a dollar value, which policy can save most lives?
Contingent valuation
- Interviews/survey questionnaires that try to put dollar value on non-monetary activities (e.g. time spent stuck in traffic; human life)
Lowi Policy Typology - and examples
- Distributive
- Redistributive - welfare spending
- Regulatory
Consensual policymaking
base proposals on mainstream values
Contentious policymaking
propose new values/new ways of thinking about social problems
Private good
Something you can buy
- Rivalrous and excludable
- hybrid car & two seated bike
Public good
non- rivalrous and non-excludable
Root cause
if you take this away the problem goes away
- Original “mover” of situation
Proximate cause
if you take this away the problem gets better but doesn’t go away
- a resolvable contributor
