Introduction to Western Methods of Policy Analysis

IntroductiontoWesternMethodsofPolicyAnalysisDinéPolicyInstituteWhatisPolicy?“advicethatrelatestopublicdecisions..”whicharealso“informedbysocialvalues.”(WeimerandVining,p.23)“PolicyAnalysisisclient-orientedadvicerelevanttopublicdecisionsandinformedbysocialvalues.”(Ibid.p.24)“Policyanalysisgoesbeyondpersonaldecisionmaking.”(Bardach,Intro)Policyanalysisisasocialandpoliticalactivity.(Bardach,Intro)WhatisPolicy?“Policy”weneedtounderstandwhatsortsoftruthmightbespoken,inwhatlanguages,andtowhatends.(Bobrow,p.4)Thepolicyfieldincludesworkthatseeksonlytounderstandandexplaintheprocessofpublicpolicymaking“knowledgeof,”inLasswell’sterms.(Bobrow,p.4)Theprocessofpublicpolicymakingincludesthemannerofwhichproblemsgetconceptualizedandbroughttogovernmentforsolution.(Sabatier,p.3)Policyanalystsareoftenrequiredtogiveadvicetopolicymakersinincrediblyshortperiodsoftime.(Patton,p.2)WhatisPolicy?Policymakingcanbeconsideredtobeasetofprocesses,includingatleast(Kingdon,p.2-3)–Thesettingoftheagenda–Thespecificationofalternativesfromwhichachoiceistobemade.–andauthoritativechoiceamongthosespecifiedalternatives,asinalegislativevoteorapresidentialdecision,and–Theimplementationofthedecision.WhatisPolicy?Policyisanagreeduponcourseofaction,beitfromalegal,political,educational,economicauthority,oranagreeduponcourseofactionofthebasicunitofsociety–thefamily.Policycaninvolveeconomics,statistics,ethics,sociology,psychology,health,politics,education,environment,andsoforth.DefiningPolicyAnalysis“PublicPolicyanalysiscanbedefinedasdeterminingwhichofvariousalternativepublicorgovernmentalpolicieswillmostachieveagivensetofgoalsinlightoftherelationsbetweenthepoliciesandthegoals.”(Nagelp.71)ElementsofPolicyAnalysis:1.Goals,includingnormativeconstraintsandrelativeweightsforthegoals.2.Policies,programs,projects,decisions,options,means,orotheralternativesthatareavailableforachievingthegoals.3.Relationsbetweenthepoliciesandthegoals,includingrelationsthatareestablishedbyintuition,authority,statistics,observation,deduction,guesses,orbyothermeans.4.Drawingatentativeconclusionastowhichpolicyorcombinationofpoliciesisbesttoadoptinlightofthegoals,policies,andrelations.5.Determiningwhatitwouldtaketobringasecondplaceorotheralternativeuptofirst.MethodsofPolicyAnalysis:1.Howtodrawaconclusionastowhichpolicytoadoptfrominformationongoals,policies,andrelations.2.Howtoestablishtherelationsbetweenpoliciesandgoals.3.Howtodeterminewhatpoliciesareavailableforadoptionandwhatgoalsareappropriatetoconsider.CommonlyusedNon-Navajomethod1.DefinetheProblem5.ProjecttheOutcomes6.Decidewhichpolicyisbest3.ConstructtheAlternatives4.SelecttheCriteria2.AssemblesomeEvidenceValuesimplicitinthemodel:WorldViewVALUESMethodsofPolicyAnalysisWorldview“setofimplicitandexplicitassumptionsabouttheoriginoftheuniverseandthenatureandpurposeofhumanlife.”(Chapra,1992)“Valuesarebeliefsthat‘somethinggoodanddesirable.’Valuesdefinewhatisimportantandconsequentlywhatisworthstrivingfor.”(Ibrahim)Normsare“whatisacceptableandappropriatebehaviorinparticularcircumstances.”(Ibrahim)WesternWorldview1.WesternworldviewisNOTmonolithic,however,manyifthevalueshavebeeninfluencedbytheJudeo-Christiantradition.2.WestrepresentacontinuumofvaluesWesternvalues…Certainfundamentalbeliefscanbenoted:a)Democracyb)Liberalismc)Individualismd)Materialisme)Secularismf)ConsumerismValuesimplicitinthemodel:Judeo-ChristianKantIndividualismCost-benefitanalysisProblemsWiththeemergenceofpluralism,itisdifficulttodefinetheproblem,becausethereisnoultimate“goodorbad.”Inaddition,withthevalueslisteditisassumedthatmostthingscanbemonetized(haveadollarvalueplacedonit.)ExampleNavajoNationapproachReactive-CrisisModelWerelyonwhattheNavajoNationgivesustomakeadecision.”“Wedonotlookatthelongtermimpact…ifitlooksgoodwedoit.”“Thereisnoanalysisoftheissue.”“Issueismadebythepeople,withoutanyrealinformationabouttheimpactoftheissueathand.”“OurpoliciesconsistoftheFiveManagementsystem.”“Chaptershavenopolicyplans,theyreacttocrisis,nobodywantstoCHANGE.”“Noonewantstocometogetherandbrainstormissues.”CurrentPolicy-MakingPracticeattheChapterLevel(ontheNavajoNation)IssuevotedonatChapterMeetingbychaptermembersPlanningOfficialsdecideifissueshouldgotoChapterMeetingIssuegoestoPlanningMeetingIfno,maygobacktoplanningmeetingValuesimplicitinthemodel:Western/BIA/NavajoIndividualismCost-benefitanalysisProblemsNavajoNationreactstoproblemsusinganon-Navajoapproach,butwithoutanyrealanalysis.