Social Policy Analysis: Technique and Application

3/8/16

Brandeis University

Heller Graduate School

Social Policy Analysis: Technique and Application

HS532b

Michael Doonan, Ph.D. Spring, 2016

Rachel Madsen Monday

Ph: 781-736-4831 2:00 – 4:50 pm

Schneider Room G3

Purpose and goals:

This course will examine approaches to policy analysis and assess strengths and limitations of various methods. The class will expose students to a range of methods and theoretical frameworks for exploring and understanding contemporary social problems and policy challenges.

We begin with an overview of the stages of policy process including policy formulation, rulemaking and implementation. Policy analysis will be defined and a distinction made with policy research. A survey of policy analysis techniques will include cost benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, risk analysis, decision analysis, meta-analysis, and case study method. The mechanics of each method will be explored along with the imbedded assumptions in each model. The course will also focus on the criteria for evaluating policy options including efficiency, equity, security and liberty. Ethics and the role of values in shaping analysis will be explored. Actual policy analysis will be evaluated in the areas of early childhood development, health, labor, and aging. Students will have the opportunity to write and present a policy analysis.

Organization:

The course is divided into four sections. Section 1 defines policy analysis and places it in historical context. Section 2 describes techniques for doing policy analysis and explores theoretical frameworks for conducting this analysis. Section 3 places policy analysis in a real world context using contemporary issues and insight from guest speakers who have used analysis to shape policy. Section 4 provides a chance for students to demonstrate the techniques and skills gained in earlier sections.

Requirements:

The course is taught in seminar format and preparation and participation are essential. Three papers, five blog entries and active class participation are required. The first paper will be to draft an opinion editorial piece between 650 and 750 words. The goal will be to develop a concise and cogent argument using policy analysis. For the second paper, students will write a memo to a senior policy official critiquing a cost benefit or cost effectiveness study. The third paper will be write a proposal to do a policy analysis project and paper. The assignment is based off an actually proposal for social policy related analysis issued by the state of Michigan.

Blog Tips: Identify your audience and us the appropriate tone. Be organized, interesting, engaging, succinct and creative. Include links in document and visuals (graphs, charts, pictures) when appropriate. Use relatively shorter paragraphs but with complete thoughts. Shoot for around 500 words fine if more or less as long as interesting.

Course Requirements & Grading:

1. Active class participation and blog entries (20% of grade)

2. 1st paper, Op-ed (25% of grade)

3. 2nd paper (25% of grade)

4. Final presentation and policy analysis paper (30% of grade)

Academic Integrity: Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section 3 of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, and could end in suspension from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in this course, you must ask for clarification.

Notice: If you have a documented disability and require any accommodations, please bring them to my attention prior to the second meeting of the class. If you have any questions about learning or other disabilities, contact Doris Breay, disabilities coordinator for The Heller School, at x62773, room 125, or at .

Text:

Peter House and Roger Shull. (1988). Rush to Policy, Using Analytical Techniques in Public Sector Decision Making, Transaction Books. (Required chapters available on Latte)

Deborah Stone, (2012). Policy Paradox, The Art of Political Decision Making. Harper Collins.

David Weimer, Aidan Vining. (1992). Policy Analysis, Concepts and Practice, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall.

Beryl A. Radin, (2000) Beyond Machiavelli, Policy Analysis Comes of Age, Georgetown University Press.

Section I: Policy Analysis Defined

Class 1: Wednesday, January 20, Policy Analysis and Its Place in the Policy Process

An overview of the class will be followed by an examination of the policy process from policy development through implementation. Critical decision points will be identified. With this background, the primary focus will be on defining policy analysis and its role in the policy process. What is policy analysis? How does it influence and shape policy? What is the difference between policy analysis and policy research?

Radin, Introduction, Chapter 1 through 4

Class 2: January 25, Policy Analysis History and Background

The focus will be on the historical roots of policy analysis in the 1960s and 1970s. What are the goals and objectives of policy analysis? How did it evolve and what is its role in shaping policy? What are the steps in doing a policy analysis? Who does policy analysis? How is it used? What role do values play in policy analysis? Part of the class will be devoted to understanding how analysis is used to construct policy argument in the form of editorials.

Readings:

Radin, Chapter 5 through 8

Weimer and Vining, Chapter 2, What is Policy Analysis?

House and Shull Chapters 1 Introduction and Chapter 2, Quantitative Techniques

Blog Entry: Write about the skills you have which will make you an effective policy analyst and the skills you need to work on to achieve your career goals. (Personal diary tone)

Class 3: February 1, Conceptual Framework of Policy Analysis

Most policy analyses are conducted based on rational public choice theory and the principles of scarcity and efficiency (maximizing outputs based on a given input). This class will discuss the steps in the rational model and the assumptions and values embedded in this model. We will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of operating within this paradigm. This class will include a broader discussion of values under the market and the polis, and a wider range of policy goals and objectives.

Readings:

Stone, Chapters Introduction 1 – 5.

Weimer and Vining Chapter 3, Rationales for Public Policy: Market Failures, Chapter 5, Rationales for Public Policy: Rationales for Public Policy: Distributional and other Goals.

Additional Readings: House and Shull, Chapter 6 Practicability, Relevance, and Compatibility of Quantitative Decision Models and 7, Constitutional and Bureaucratic Framework.

Blog entry: Find an article from a periodical or newspaper and demonstrate how they use analogy and numbers to make a claim for a particular construction of reality. What alternative representation of the numbers or alternative analogy could be used to tell an alternative story of a different reality? (Smart policy audience)

Op Eds due please bring a hard copy to class as well as upload on Latte.

Section II: Techniques for Policy Analysis

Class 4: February 8, Presentation and Critique of Student Editorials

Students will have been assigned an editorial from a colleague to critique. During class each person will read her or his editorial and the content, use of data, structure and persuasiveness of the argument will be critiqued. This hands-on exercise help demonstrate how analysis can be used to forward policy position. People will be selected at random.

Blog entry: Blog on blogs: Find 3 or 4 blogs in your area of policy interest and blog on their strengths and weaknesses. (For people in the field who want to know what to read)

Class 5: February 22, Criteria for Evaluating and Understanding Policy

Continue discussion of the criteria for evaluating policy and how it is formed and understood. Focus will be on the use of numbers, analogy, problem and solution definition and understanding.

Readings: Readings are from Stone Chapters 6 through 9. But please also review chapters on equity, efficiency, security and liberty.

Class 6: February 29, Quantitative Techniques I, Cost Effectiveness Analysis

This class starts with a survey of techniques for conducting policy analysis. It begins with cost effectiveness analysis and cost benefit analysis. The second half of the class will be spent debating Oregon’s use of cost effectiveness analysis to rank order medical treatments for reimbursement purposes.

Readings:

Louise Russell et. al. “The Role of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine” JAMA, October 9, 1996 Vol. 276, No 14. P 1172 – 1177.

Milton Weinstein et. al. “Recommendations of the Panel on Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine,” JAMA, October 16, 1996 Vol. 276, No 15. P 1253 – 1258.

David Hadorn, “Setting Health Care Priorities in Oregon, Cost-effectiveness Meets the Rule of Rescue,” JAMA, May 1, 1991 Vol. 265, No 17. P 2218 – 2225.

“Oregon’s Methods Did Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Fail?” JAMA, October 16, 1991, Vol. 266. No. 15, P 2135 – 2141.

Additional Readings:

Samuel R. G. Finayson, and John D. Birkmeyer. “Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Surgery,” Surgery, February 1998.

Garber. “Cost-effectiveness and Evidence Evaluation as Criteria for Coverage Policy,” Health Affairs, May 19, 2004.

Office of Technology Assessment. “The Implications of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Medical Technology,” August 1980.

Blog entry: 4. Write a humorous cost benefit analysis about getting married, buying a car, buying a house, having a child, getting an MPP in social welfare policy or something similarly inappropriate. Account for opportunity cost and time. Include a discount rate and justification. (Satire)

Class 7: March 7, Quantitative Techniques II, Benefit Cost Analysis, Decision Analysis, and Risk Analysis

We will wrap up our discussion of quantitative techniques including cost benefit analysis, decision analysis and risk analysis. This will include information the appropriateness of each technique to particular circumstances -- strengths and weaknesses of each technique. We will examine how these methods have been used to shape policy. Examples from House and Shull will be used to evaluate arguments supporting and critiquing public choice theory that underlie these policy analysis tools.

Readings will be selected from among the following:

Stone, Part III problems Chapters 6 - 9

Stone, Chapter 10 Decisions

House and Shull, Chapters 3, Benefit Cost Analysis

Weimer, Vining, Chapter 9, Benefit Cost Analysis (Optional)

House and Shull, Chapter 4, Risk Analysis and Chapter 5, Decision Analysis (Optional)

Weimer, Vining, Chapter 12, Cost Benefit in a Bureaucratic Setting: The Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Blog entry: Write advocating that government increase the use of quantitative analysis more broadly in a particular policy area. Alternatively write about the dangers of an over-reliance on the use of quantitative analysis. (Government trade organization AFSME or APPAM)

Section III: The Application of Research and Policy Case Studies

Class 8: March 14: Meta Analysis and Case Study Methods

Quantitative techniques are not always possible in real world situations and often questions are more conducive to qualitative methods. Primary quantitative data are often unavailable or time constraints prohibit their collection and analysis. Here a systematic review of existing studies may be most appropriate. A case study method may be more appropriate when questions are how and why a particular program or policy is not working.

Readings:

Light, R. and Pillemer, D. (1984). Organizing a Reviewing Strategy. In Summing Up: The Science of Reviewing Research. Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press.

Light, R. and Pillemer, D. (1984). Numbers and Narrative: The Division of Labor. In Summing Up: The Science of Reviewing Research. Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press.

Smart, C., Hendrick, R, E., Rutledge J., and Smith, R. (1995). “Benefits of Mammography Screening in Women Ages 40 to 49 Years. Current Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials.” Cancer, V. 75, N.7. April.

Yin, R.K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. (2nd edition). Chapters 1 and 2.

McCarthy, D. and Mueller, K. (2009). Organizing for Higher Performance: Case Studies of Organized Delivery Systems. New York: Commonwealth Fund.

Peter J. Hass and J. Fred Spinger. (1998) Applied Policy Research Concepts and Cases.

Class 9: March 21, Early Childhood Development Policy: John Lippitt will join us as a guest speaker.

The goal of this class will be to understand how real policymakers use policy analysis, and what other factors are critical to making policy decisions. We will also discuss the necessary skills and role of the policy analyst, and discuss potential ethical dilemmas.

How has or can policy analysis shape early childhood development policy in America? The focus will be on what information/analysis is helpful for lawmakers/decision-makers in constructing/altering policy. We will focus on the nexus of research, policy and advocacy.

Readings:

Lippitt: Policy & policy making from ZTT (7p)

FrameWorks Institute. (2009). Framing Early Childhood Development Message Brief. (6p) http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/ECD/ecd_message_brief_2009.pdf

FrameWorks Institute: Under Research on Issues, Children, Early Childhood Development and Budgets and Taxes, play the game Swamped! At

http://games.frameworksinstitute.org/Swamped-ECDBT.html

Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. (2014). Brain builders. (4 min. video) http://www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/how-brains-are-built-core-story-brain-development

Isaacs, J., et al. (2015). Kids’ share 2015. Urban Institute. (Read pages 3-6, Glossary of terms on p. 9, 10-19, and 31) (14 pages)

http://www.urban.org/research/publication/kids-share-2015-report-federal-expenditures-children-through-2014

White House Summit on Early Education. (12/10/14). The Economics of Early Childhood Investments. (Read pages 3-4, 7-16, 23, 29-34) (16 pages)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/early_childhood_report1.pdf

Bilmes, L. (3/3/16). Congress should hold hearings on Obama’s budget. The Boston Globe. (1 page)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/03/03/congress-should-hold-hearings-obama-budget/1CoUrqgsyP1wjCdeBhuQYI/story.html

Barnett et al. (2015). The State of Preschool 2014. Read the Executive Summary (pages 5 – 18 and review at least 1 state’s 2 page summary; 6 pages of text plus 9 charts)

http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/Yearbook2014_full3.pdf

Ebbert, S. (2/20/16). State raises expectations, but not pay, for preschool teachers. The Boston Globe. (4 pages)