Goeller scorecard

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PAD 520 – Student Notes

(Prerequisite: MAT 540)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Reviews the political, social, and economic factors influencing policy analysis and planning for analyzing, solving, and resolving practical problems designed for policy issues facing federal, state, local, and nonprofit sectors. Examines quantitative and qualitative methods, processes, and concepts of public policy analysis and develops skills in applying critical thinking skills, analytical techniques, and various forms of structured analytical writing and communications. The role and ethical dimensions of policy analysis and evaluation in the policy making process are discussed.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Required Resources

Dunn, W. N. (2012). Public policy analysis (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Supplemental Resources

Berman, E. (2002). Essential statistics for public managers and policy analyst. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Bickers, K. N. & Williams, J. T. (2001). Public policy analysis: A political economy approach. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lindblom, C. E. & Woodhouse, E. J. (1993). The policy-making process (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Public Agenda. (2011). General format. Retrieved from http://www.publicagenda.org/.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Analyze the historical context, basic concepts, strategies, and / or models of public policy.

2. Recommend policy alternatives to deal with a specific problem.

3. Examine the nature, characteristics, models, and / or methods pertinent to the structuring of policy problems.

4. Analyze the goals, limitations, approaches, and techniques of forecasting.

5. Compare and contrast approaches and / or techniques for prescribing preferred policies.

6. Evaluate policy outcomes by applying a variety of methods and techniques.

7. Examine the process of policy argument development.

8. Analyze various methods of policy communication.

9. Develop a policy analysis report.

10. Use technology and information resources to research issues in policy analysis and program evaluation.

11. Write clearly and concisely about policy analysis and program evaluation using proper writing mechanics.

WEEKLY COURSE SCHEDULE

The standard requirement for a 4.5 credit hour course is for students to spend 13.5 hours in weekly work. This includes preparation, activities, and evaluation regardless of delivery mode.

Week

Preparation, Activities, and Evaluation

Points

1

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 1: The Process of Analysis

· Case Studies

· Case 1.1: The Goeller Scorecard – Monitoring and Forecasting Technological Impacts

· Case 1.2: The Spreadsheet – Evaluating the Benefits and Costs of Energy Policies

· Case 1.3: The Influence Diagram and Decision Tree – Structuring Problems of Energy Policy and International Security

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

2

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 8: Developing Policy Arguments

· Case Studies

· Case 1.4: The Argument Map ̶ Problem Structuring in National Defense and Transportation Policy (located at the end of Chapter 1)

· Case 8.1: Pros and Cons of Balkan Intervention (located at the end of Chapter 8)

· e-Activity

· Use a major news publication or the Strayer Library to read a recent article or letter to the editor (published within the last 12 months) about the international affairs of any specific federal agency, and find at least two formal and informal fallacies in the article. Be prepared to discuss.

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

3

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 2: Policy Analysis in the Policy-Making Process

· Case Studies

· Case 2.1: Are Policy Analysts Technocrats?

· Case 2.2: Understanding the Use of Policy Analysis

· e-Activity

· Go to the following Websites and analyze at least two policy papers or reports published by a government agency or a think tank that address a current issue (within the last 12 months): Public Agenda, located at http://www.publicagenda.org; RAND Corporation, located at http://www.rand.org; Policy Library, located at http://www.policylibrary.com/; American Enterprise Institute, located at http://www.aei.org; Cato Institute, located at http://www.cato.org; Economic Policy Institute, located at http://www.epi.org/; or The Heritage Foundation, located at http://www.heritage.org. Be prepared to discuss.

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· Assignment 1: Argument Mapping

20

150

4

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 3: Structuring Policy Problems

· Case Study

· 3.1: Structuring Problems of Risk in Mining and Transportation

· e-Activity

· Go to one or more of the following Websites and review at least two policy papers or reports published by a government agency or a think tank that address a problem or an issue of interest: Public Agenda, located at www.publicagenda.org; RAND Corporation located at www.rand.org; and / or American Enterprise Institute, located at www.aei.org. Be prepared to discuss.

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

5

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 4: Forecasting Expected Policy Outcomes

· Case Study

· Case 4.2: Revenue Forecasting and Environmental Justice

· Box 4.1: Transit Equity: A Look at MARTA

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· Assignment 2: Stakeholder Analysis

20

150

6

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 5: Prescribing Preferred Policies

· Case Studies

· Case 1:1: Saving Lives and Saving Time (located at the end of Chapter 1)

· Case 5.1: Opportunity Costs of Saving Lives – The 55 MPH Speed Limit (located at the end of Chapter 5)

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

7

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 6: Monitoring Observed Policy Outcomes

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· Assignment 3: Prescribing Policies

20

170

8

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 7: Evaluating Policy Performance

· Case Study

· Case 7:1: The Economics of Moral Judgment: Evaluating Living Wage Policies

· e-Activity

· Go to the Living Wage Calculator Website, located at http://livingwage.mit.edu/, and select two different states and locations to compare their living wage estimates and poverty wage levels. Be prepared to discuss.

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· Assignment 4: Policy Outcomes

20

110

9

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Chapter 9: Communicating Policy Analysis

· Appendix 2: The Executive Summary

· Case Study

· Case 9:1: Translating Policy Arguments into Issue Papers, Position Papers, and Letters to the Editor – The Case of the Second Persian Gulf War

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

10

Preparation

· Reading(s)

· Review Chapter 9: Communicating Policy Analysis

· Appendix 4: Planning Oral Briefings

· e-Activity

· Go to the White House Website, located at www.whitehouse.gov, and perform a search on briefings. Review briefings from the Briefing Room and Press Briefings, and select two briefings published in the last 12 months. Be prepared to discuss.

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· Assignment 5: The Executive Summary

20

200

11

Preparation

· Reading(s): None

Activities

· Discussions

Evaluation

· None

20

GRADING SCALE – GRADUATE

Assignment

Total Points

% of

Grade

Assignment 1: Argument Mapping

150

15%

Assignment 2: Stakeholder Analysis

150

15%

Assignment 3: Prescribing Policies

170

17%

Assignment 4: Policy Outcomes

110

11%

Assignment 5: The Executive Summary

200

20%

Participation (22 discussions at 10 points apiece)

220

22%

Total

1,000

100%

Points

Percentage

Grade

900 – 1,000

90% – 100%

A

800 – 899

80% – 89%

B

700 – 799

70% – 79%

C

Below 700

Below 70%

F

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PAD 520 – Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

© 2014 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.

PAD 520 Student Version 1148 (1090 8-15-2014) Page 3 of 23

Assignment 1: Argument Mapping

Due Week 3 and worth 150 points

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

(Note: Refer to Demonstration Exercise 3 located at the end of Chapter 1 for criteria 1-3.)

1. Create an argument map based on the influence diagram presented in Case 1.3 and complete all the criteria provided in the exercise, beginning with this claim: “The U.S. should return to the 55- mph speed limit in order to conserve fuel and save lives.”

2. Include in the map as many warrants, backings, objections, and rebuttals as possible.

3. Assume that the original qualifier was certainly; indicate whether the qualifier changes as we move from a simple, static, uncontested argument to a complex, dynamic and contested argument.

(Note: Refer to Demonstration Exercise 3 located at the end of Chapter 8 for criterion 4.)

4. Apply the argument mapping procedures presented in Chapter 8 to analyze the pros and cons (or strengths and weaknesses) of the recommendations that the United States should not intervene in the Balkans.

(Note: Refer to Demonstration Exercise 4 located at the end of Chapter 8 for criteria 5-7.)

5. Write a one (1) page analysis that uses critical thinking to assess the overall plausibility of the claim: “The conflict in Bosnia is somebody else’s trouble. The U.S. should not intervene militarily.”

6. Complete an argument map to illustrate your analysis.

7. Include at least two (2) peer-reviewed references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook to support your views regarding the proposed U.S. response to the conflict in Bosnia. Note: Appropriate peer-reviewed references include scholarly articles and governmental Websites. Do not use open source Websites such as Wikipedia, Sparknotes.com, Ask.com, and similar Websites are not acceptable resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

· Use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Draw, PowerPoint, or other graphics program to create the arguments maps for the assignment. Whichever program you use, the graphical maps must be integrated into the Word Document and labeled as a Figure with a number and title. The argument maps are part of the page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

· Analyze the historical context, basic concepts, strategies, and / or models of public policy.

· Examine the nature, characteristics, models, and / or methods pertinent to the structuring of policy problems.