Chapter 6 public Policy

READ: Chapter Six

DISCUSSION - INITIAL RESPONSES DUE: THURSDAY, 1/8/26 BY NOON

TWO RESPONSES TO OTHER STUDENTS DUE: SATURDAY, 1/10/25 BY MIDNIGHT

List of Topics and Sub-Modules for Ch. 6: Assessing Policy Alternatives

• Chapter Six Lecture & Supplemental MaterialsWeb Page [Image unavailable: Alternative formats]Click on this book. It contains, the lecture materials, chapter PowerPoint, and other materials. The materials contained herein are not a substitute for your reading. They are meant to be a supplement to your required reading and other supporting materials. If you use these as your only primary source of chapter information, you will not be successful in the course.
• Chapter Six Discussion - Public Policy AlternativesDiscussion Topic When I worked in the legislature, we’d sit around tables and toss out public policy alternative solutions, we had a huge white board in the office that said always use the "KISS method." However, the conversation almost always came back to three things: "Is any other state doing this?" (this would drive me insane because who cares) “Does it or could it work?” and “How much is it going to cost?” I worked in Senate Finance for a year, so anything over a certain dollar amount automatically triggered a financial review. Interestingly, we never discussed how certain corporate lobbyists might feel about the solution. It was never part of the staff policy calculus. Trust me. I have had lobbyist fired over policies I have written they were unable to stop. I could have cared less. There were a few counsels that always considered how labor would feel, but that's about it at our level. Chapter 6 walks us through the different criteria we use to decide whether a policy is worth pursuing, such as efficiency, equity, political feasibility, and administrative or technical capacity.Let’s bring this to life.Look up both a United States House of Representative and a United States Senator and examine their one of their most recently sponsored bills. As you have learned, these policy outputs are in response to a predetermined public problem. Once you have selected your legislation, respond to the following:
  • What’s the policy or proposal?
  • How would you evaluate it using two or three of the criteria from the chapter?
  • Do you think it’s a good policy overall? Why or why not?
  You don’t need to write a formal analysis—just have an honest, thoughtful conversation and show that you’re thinking critically about how policies are judged in the real world. ****There are NO duplicate Representatives allowed.*** That means, you must put the name of your Representative choices in the thread subject line and may need to read your fellow classmates posts to be sure they've not already spoken about a particular Senator or House Representative. Most of you will look at the policies of other State's officials, which is part of the exercise. It's important to note, that policy priorities are very different from region to region and State to State, but at the federal level impact our country equitably. You will find Representatives on the United States House of Representatives or US Senate websites.https://www.senate.gov/
  https://www.house.gov/**Be sure to discuss two public policies - one US House bill & one US Senate bill.