Purpose of the Course and Expectations

This is a course about how to do policy analysis. In Policy Analysis for Public Decisions, MacRae and Wilde defined policy analysis as "the use of reason and evidence to choose the best policy among a number of alternatives" for addressing a particular policy problem. Many other definitions have been offered, but the common thread is systematic reasoning about alternative courses of action to deal with a policy problem.

Graduate and undergraduate programs to teach people to do policy analysis are now commonplace. Nevertheless, it is not easy to demonstrate that conventional approaches to policy analysis based in neo-classical economics and/or positivist social science have resulted in identifiable improvements in public policy outcomes. Hence, we focus here on the policy sciences alternative. The policy sciences are characterized by problem-oriented, contextual, and multi-method inquiry. The explicit goal of the policy sciences is the greater realization of human dignity, including the individual and collective ability to solve policy problems facing our communities. Our objective is to empower people to make better choices about the problems facing them, in part through new ways of seeing the problem or discovery of new alternatives, not by making the choices for them.

This course illustrates the policy sciences approach thorough its most accessible conceptual framework, the problem orientation. The limitations of human understanding relative to the complexities of most policy problems force policymakers and analysts to operate on the basis of simplified representations or "maps" of the relevant context. These simplifications often lead to blind spots and major policy failures. The principal antidotes to the inherent limitations of human cognition are conceptual frameworks that direct the attention to the major features of the context that need to be taken into account.

In his writings on the policy sciences, Harold Lasswell argues that there are five distinct, but interrelated tasks involved in the analysis of any policy problem:

Clarification of GOALS. What are our values and objectives? What do we want to achieve? Why should these values be given priority over other values in dealing with this issue? What do those general values or principles mean in this particular context?

DESCRIPTION of past and present TRENDS with respect to those goals. Where are we in relation to where we want to be? What is the magnitude of the problem? Is the problem getting worse or getting better? Is it a problem or a crisis?

ANALYSIS of CONDITIONING FACTORS affecting those trends. What are the causes of the problem? Why is the problem getting better or worse? What human/other actions make those trends move in desirable or undesirable directions?

PROJECTION of probable FUTURE trends. What are the probable future outcomes under current policies? Is the problem likely to get better/worse? What are the best case/worst case scenarios?

DESIGN and EVALUATION of ALTERNATIVES. What should be done? What action(s) will lead most effectively to the desired outcomes? What policies will be best for whom over the long run? Why is a given policy option better/worse than alternative policies?

Other authors have developed similar analytical frameworks. All embody the same basic problem-solving logic.  At first glance, the framework seems fairly simple. However, we will see various examples of policies that failed because someone failed to establish what the policy was really supposed to achieve, or failed to deal with the problem until it was already a crisis, or misidentified the causes of the problem, or failed to consider how the problem was likely to change in the future, or failed to consider all the relevant alternatives before making the policy decision

This is only partly a matter of oversight. In practice, analysts and policymakers have only limited amounts of time, attention, and other resources to devote to any one of these tasks. Even under the most favorable conditions, these are complex questions which seldom yield simple answers. Still, the most difficult challenge for policymakers and policy analysts is to recognize the blind spots in one’s own analysis.

In each of these five areas, we will discuss the nature of the analytical task and contrast alternative approaches to that. This overview of policy analysis methods will not make you an expert in any of these techniques, but it will give you some idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the methods you are most likely to come in contact with and/or be called upon to use as a policy analyst. For each of the tasks, we will read and critique examples of policy analysis in a variety of substantive fields. By the end of the course, you should be able to take a professional policy analysis and to critique that analysis from the perspective of what it includes and its omissions, as well as the biases of that analysis.

The emphasis in this course is on learning by doing and by example. Each student will select a policy problem of concern to him/her and apply the problem orientation to the task of developing a policy recommendation for that problem. Although real ease and sophistication in using the framework comes with repeated practice, by the end of the course you should be able to apply the basic concepts to any subsequent policy problem you confront.

What you will get out of this class is proportional to what you put into the class.   Much of the substantive material on particular environmental policy issues will be brought to the class through the term project and our class discussions of the significance of the readings in the context of your project.  Thus, it is critical to treat the term project as a semester-long effort, and not a final-week rush.

In order to get the most out of this course, you will need to come to class prepared, participate, and complete all of the assignments.  I encourage you to use the office hours as an opportunity to discuss in more detail certain aspects of the course, share ideas on your case study, and to provide feedback on the course and the readings.  The remainder of this syllabus details some of the important aspects of this course.