Introduction: Introduce the issue and state why it is important to discuss. Who is affected and to what degree?
Define the Problem: Describe the public policy issues: State the proposed law, policy, issue, problem, concern.
What is the issue? What is the issue’s history? How has it changed over time and who is currently affected?
How is it perceived by those involved: legislators, clients, planners, program administrators, line staff, parents,
caregivers, etc.. Examine a range of viewpoints on the issue.
You should be able to clearly state the problem in 1-2 sentences and the proposed Public Policy change in 1- 2 sentences. Be able to point to those sentences. If someone only read that, they would understand what you are proposing.
Assemble Some Evidence: What evidence will you use to convince a policy maker that this is a problem and
that your solution will work? Identify 2-3 public policies which could address your issue. What evidence is there
to support or reject each alternative? Explain why those options have been proposed to address the identified
issue. Using actual evidence is best here, but you can also list what evidence you would use if none is
available.
Construct the Alternatives: Compare the relative merits of competing public policies that have been identified to
address the issue (the 2-3alternatives that you came up with above). What other potential policies have been
proposed to address the issue?
Select the Criteria and Project the Outcomes: What outcomes will be produced by your proposed policy? How
will you measure the desired outcomes to determine the success? How will we know if your Policy worked?
When has it worked enough?
Confront the Tradeoffs: What compromises will need to be made in order to choose the direction of the policy
that will address the issue?
Sample Solution
