8. Guidance for Projects
Policy analysts must often define problems for, and recommend solutions to, their superiors. A policy is a high level statement or plan that defines goals and acceptable approaches to the achievement of goals. A policy analysis evaluates the goals or the approaches to the goals. A policy analysis project should include the following elements:
- Introduction
- Assessment of the Problem
- Literature Review
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Include at least one stakeholder representing the public interest.
- Options Specification
- Develop an options specification table.
- Options Analysis
- Include at least the following criteria: public interest, ethical compliance, political feasibility, administrative feasibility, financial feasibility, equity, and effectiveness.
- Recommendation
- Identify the action-forcing event.
- Identify the policy question asked by the official you are working for.
- Provide an historical background and timeline.
- Define the policy problem.
- Complete a literature review that includes scholarly articles, professional and best-practice reports and articles, and reports and articles about how the policy and problem has been managed in other jurisdictions.
- Develop an environmental scan table that identifies 4-5 people who are official decision makers, experts and advocates. These are people whose views should be considered by your client.
- Identify the policy strategies and options to be assessed.
- Explain the analysis to be conducted.
- Collect the information or data.
- Identify legal, ethical, operational and financial constraints that limit strategies and options.
- Identify legal, ethical, operational or financial implications of your recommendation.
- Present and explain the results of your analysis in an options analysis table.
- Recommend, based on the analysis, a policy strategy or option.
- Identify arguments for and against the policy strategy or option advocated.
- Defend the policy strategy or option advocated.
