Review of Chapter 2

“An Overview of a Style of Policy Analysis”

Review of Unit 3 Project

Chambers, D. E., & Wedel, K. R. (2009). Social policy and social programs: A method for the practical public policy analyst. Boston, MA: Pearson.

An Overview of a Style of Policy Analysis: A Value-Critical ApproachContrast 3 types of Policy Analysis

Value-analyticValue-committedValue-critical

“The most important step in analyzing program and policy features is to arrive at a judgment about them, that is, whether they are, in a particular sense, “good,” “right,” or appropriate beyond logical consistency” (Chambers & Wedel, 2009, p. 33).

Policy and Program Analysis Process: Six fundamental Policy Elements.Six Policy elements:

1. Goals and Objectives

2. Forms of benefits or services delivered

3. Entitlement (eligibility) rules

4. Administrative or organizational structure for service delivery

5. Financing method

6. Interactions among the foregoing elements

Why study these six fundamental elements?...Because without review of these six fundamental

elements a social policy or program cannot be operated; hence they are essential for the implementation of a program or policy system.

Six questions to ask: Reaching a decision…1. What purpose or goal do you wish to achieve?2. Given those goals, who is entitled to receive the

outcome?3. In what form would the proposed outcome be

given?4. Who will deliver the outcome?5. Would you prefer the outcome to be delivered all at

once or split up (financed)?6. When the outcome is provided to the recipient will

it be used for the purpose intended?

Policy Element Subtypes and Evaluation Criteria for a Value-Critical Appraisal of Social Policies and Programs

Criteria for a Value-Critical Appraisal of Social Policy and Programs

The method of policy analysis within this text suggests three general but very different types of criteria for evaluating the features of social program and policy systems.

First Type of Policy Analysis

Uses the social problem analysis as a referent, the evaluation issue being whether the policy or program has any potential for making an impact on the social problem it was intended to solve.

The human service worker asks the following specific questions:

Do the entitlement rules direct benefits at the entire population defined to have the social problem, or do they only reach a subgroup?

Do the goals and objectives of the program or policy system fit a social problem as defined?

Can this form of benefit produce a significant impact on the causal factors believed to produce the social problem?

Does the policy or program recognize or build on the strengths or assets of those affected by the social problem?

The Second Type of Policy Analysis

Made up of traditional value perspectives:

Adequacy, equity, and efficiency

The Third Type of Policy Analysis

The third type of criteria are only used to evaluate policy elements relative to their worthiness.

Examples: Target specifications Performance standards

Summary of Criteria for a Value-Critical Appraisal of Social Policy and ProgramsThe criteria used by the practical policy analyst

should entail the following for deciding upon policy elements in a program, service, or policy system:

1.The fit of the policy element to the social problem of concern

2.The consequences of the policy element with regard to adequacy, equity, and efficiency for client/consumers and program participants

3.Criteria that are uniquely useful for a single policy element but not others

Unit 3 Project ReviewTo prepare for this project, you will contact a human

services agency in your area and obtain the following information: Name of agency – include if this is in a city or a rural

area Clients/consumers servedSocial problem addressed A copy of its mission statement, and the goals and

objectives of the agency.

While there is no such thing as a right or wrong viewpoint on social problems, there are a lot of emotions, values, morals, and judgments that are associated with service delivery to the most needy in our population.

Based on the information you gathered about your chosen agency, please discuss the following: Discuss who is served and the nature of the social

problem addressed by the agency you chose.Identify the goals and objectives of your chosen agency

and analyze each of them using the three criteria in the text: Clarity Measurability Manipulability

How might the location of the agency (rural or urban) influence the goals and objectives set by the agency?

Which of your own values came into play as you did this project, and how did that influence your evaluation of the goals and objectives of your chosen agency?

Project GuidelinesThis project should be between 1000-1200 words not

including your title and reference pages. While the text is your main reference for this project, you are also required to use a minimum of two articles from a peer reviewed journal from the Kaplan Library using the Academic Search Premier database. You are required to give credit to the sources you use, and to use proper APA formatting. Refer to the APA Quick Reference for help with APA, or access the Kaplan Writing Center or contact your instructor. Remember that all work must be your own and that plagiarism is not tolerated. Be sure to review the plagiarism policy in your syllabus.

Submitting your ProjectSubmitting your Project Put your project in a Word

document. Save it in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit it, click on the Dropbox and complete the steps below: Click on "Submit an Assignment."In the "Submit to Basket" menu, select Unit 3: Project. In the “"Comments" field, include at least the title of your

assignment. Click the "Add Attachments" button. Follow the steps listed to attach your Word document.To view your graded work, come back to the Dropbox or

go to the Gradebook after your instructor has evaluated it.Make sure that you save a copy of your submitted project.

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING UNIT 2 SEMINAR

Chambers, D. E., & Wedel, K. R. (2009). Social policy and social programs: A method for the practical public policy analyst. Boston, MA: Pearson.