What is policy analysis?  Illustrative examples from fisheries management

Rdgs: 
W&V Ch. 1, “Preview: The Canadian salmon fishery”

**Mikalsen & Jentoft, "From user-groups to stakeholders?" for a somewhat different emphasis ; 

**Mardle et al., "Objectives of fisheries management" [pay attention especially to secs. 4 & 5.]

Optional Rdgs: 
Students who took SMA 536 last quarter will find Ch. 19, "Of Fish and ITQs", of Y. Bauman's Quantum Microeconomics highly relevant to W&V Ch.1.  Ch. 3, "Optimization over Time" is also useful. 

Bauman, Y. (2003). Ch. 19, "Of Fish and ITQs" and Ch. 3, "Optimization over Time" in Quantum Microeconomics (Version 2.0, January 2003).  Available at http://students.washington.edu/yoram/quantum. 

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Week 2 THE POLICY MEMO, AND THINKING ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF POLICY PROBLEMS

1/12

The policy memo (discussion of principal course assignment) and the structure of policy analysis

Rdgs:
**Elmore and Dobel, “Memoranda Writing” 

**Memorandum, E. Piper to J. Sandor (State of Alaska), Feb. 27, 1991 provides a real-world example of a well-crafted policy memo.  It includes a brief "deconstruction" at the end; 

Bardach, Sec. I, "The Eightfold Path" (pp. 1-46) [You may wish to skim Bardach at this point, as this material will reappear throughout the course.]

Optional Rdgs:
**Musso et al., "Tradecraft:  Professional Writing as Problem Solving" discusses the craft of policy analysis generally with emphasis on written products. It echoes and amplifies both readings above; 

W&V, Ch. 3, “Professional Ethics”.

1/14

Structuring public policy problems for analysis:  Deconstructing shrimp aquaculture development in Southeast Asia as a problem for policy analysis [classroom exercise]

Rdgs: 
**Neiland, A. E., N. Soley, et al. (2001). “Shrimp aquaculture: economic perspectives for policy development.” Marine Policy 25(4): 265-279. 

Huitric et al., "Development and government policies of the shrimp farming industry in Thailand" [in reader].

Photo Courtesy of NOAA
The prize - shrimp being readied for market 
Image ID: fish0788, Fisheries Collection
Location: Beaufort, North Carolina
Photo Date: 1969 June

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Week 3 PROBLEM DEFINITION FOR POLICY ANALYSIS

1/19

Holiday

1/21

Toward "good" problem definition

Rdgs:
Review Bardach's  1. Define the Problem (pp. 1-7).

Policy Memo Topics Due

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Week 4 STELLER SEA LION RECOVERY AS A PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEM

1/26

Applying principles of problem definition, diagnosis and structuring to policy problems:  A policy-analytic perspective on managing North Pacific fisheries for Steller Sea Lion recovery

Rdgs:
Decline of the Steller Sea Lion in Alaskan Waters (NRC, 2003). Read "Executive Summary" and "Introduction" (pp. 1-25).  You may wish to skim other sections that amplify particular themes [The entire report is available for online viewing at http://www.nap.edu]; 

A preliminary review of W&V Chapter 9, "Correcting Market and Government Failures," will be very helpful for general concepts.  (Note: This is the key W&V chapter for this course.) 

[Alert:  Packets of materials for the role-playing you will do in class on Monday 2/2 will be available by mid-week.  You will need to review this material in advance of class and may want to meet with other members of your team before that day.]

Optional Rdgs:
**Giraud, K. et al. (2002). "Economic benefit of the protection program for the Steller sea lion". Marine Policy 26(6): 451-458.

Image ID: anim0273, NOAA's Ark (Animals) Collection
Location: Middleton Island, Gulf of Alaska
Photo Date: 1978 April
Photographer: Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps

1/28

General guidelines for diagnosing policy problems: market efficiency and market failure

Rdgs:
Re-read Bardach's 4. Select the Criteria (pp 19-27). 

Re-read W&V Chapter 9, “Correcting Market and Government Failures,” culminating in a hard look at Table 9.6 on p. 251.  Your general objective for the next several weeks will be to work your way forward from Chapter 4 through Chapter 8 of the same book.  Notice that the chapters develop the details summarized in Table 9.6, in sequence.  Your objective is to learn the nature of each of the “failures” listed in Table 9.6 and how to recognize it.  [It is assumed that you have sufficiently mastered Ch. 4 on the basis of your economics class or waiver and it will not be covered.]  The emphasis today is on Ch. 5 ("Market Failures") and Ch. 6 ("Other Limitations of the Competitive Framework")

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Week 5 THE STELLER SEA LION, CONT'D.: DIAGNOSIS, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR POLICY PROBLEMS

2/2
Goals, objectives, means and ends for managing North Pacific fisheries for Steller Sea Lion recovery: In-class exercise I

Rdgs:
Review NRC, 2003, Decline of the Steller Sea Lion in Alaskan Waters. Also, pick up and read in advance the special packet that relates to this topic. 

 [We will conduct an in-class simulation intended to generate information on objectives, favored actions and their consequences for valued objectives, estimated consequences of proposed actions, tradeoffs and willingness to trade, all as seen from the perspective of a specific interest to the sea lion recovery problem.  Each student will be assigned a role in advance.  Potential roles include factory trawler industry representatives, fishery-dependent communities, scientific community including NMFS fishery scientists, North Pacific Fishery Council members with a managerial interest, and environmental community.]

Guest discussants?

Memo 1A Due [Bring an extra copy of your memo to class so you can exchange with another student as well as provide one for the instructor.]

2/4 

A "means-ends network" for managing Steller Sea Lion recovery:  In-class exercise II

Rdgs: 
Review your notes and other materials concerning the Steller sea lion recovery problem from the previous two class meetings. 

Also read the portions of **Gregory, R. and K. Wellman (2001). “Bringing stakeholder values into environmental policy choices: a community-based estuary case study.” Ecological Economics 39(1): 37-52. (concerning the Tillamook Bay Estuary Management Program) that are relevant to their Fig. 1 (means-ends network--Secs. 1-3). 

Optional Rdgs:
On coping with risk and uncertainty in policy making:  W&V pp. 406-416 (“Thinking Strategically about Policy Design”, with emphasis on Uncertainty and Error Correction); 

also review W&V’s pp. 121-126, “The Problem of Uncertainty”; 

Lee Chpt. 3, “Compass: Adaptive Management.”

Guest discussants?

[The goal is that Memo 1A be returned to originator, by instructor and student reviewer both, with written comments by Friday 2/6.]

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Week 6 DIAGNOSING POLICY PROBLEMS:  LOOKING BEYOND MARKET EFFICIENCY

2/10

i.  Diagnosing policy problems (cont’d.):  Distributional and other goals
ii. Gathering information to support policy analysis

Rdgs: 
For i: W&V, Ch. 7 ("Distributional and other goals"). 

For ii: Examine W&V Appendix 10A, "Gathering Information for Policy Analysis" with regard to the Memo 1 assignment, as well as Bardach's 2. Assemble Some Evidence.  Also look to Part II of Bardach's book ("Gathering Data for Policy Research"). 

Optional Rdgs:
D. Stone, Goals (This section of the book Policy Paradox (rev. ed. 2002) includes separate chapters devoted to "Equity", "Efficiency", "Security", and "Liberty").

 
2/11

Diagnosing policy problems (cont’d.):  Government failure and imperfect policies

Rdgs:  Continue into W&V Chapter 8, “Government Failures” 

Memo 1B Due (2/11 or 2/13) [formerly 2/9]

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Week 7 DEVELOPING POLICY ALTERNATIVES

2/16

Holiday

2/18

'Problem' and 'solution' analysis for policy problems: Developing policy alternatives in light of policy goals, objectives, criteria and constraints

Rdgs:
Review how policy options were developed and evaluated in W&V, Chapt. 1 (an example of a multigoal analysis). 

Then read W&V, Ch. 10, esp. "Steps in the Rationalist Mode -- Problem Analysis" (pp. 256-270) and  "Choosing a Solution Method" and "Solution Analysis" (pp. 270-282). 

Also review Bardach's 3. Construct the Alternatives.  Additional valuable approaches to developing alternatives for analysis are to be found in P. May, “Hints for crafting alternative policies;” and Bardach's Part III (" 'Smart (Best) Practices' Research"), and Appendix A ("Things Governments Do"). 

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Week 8 EVALUATING ALTERNATIVES AND IDENTIFYING TRADEOFFS

2/23

Evaluating policy options:  Applying goals and criteria to the evaluation of policy alternatives

Rdgs:  W&V Ch. 10, pp. 282-289 ("Predicting and valuing")

Bardach, 5. Project the Outcomes, 6. Confront the Tradeoffs and 7. Decide!; 

Hilz, C. and J. R. Ehrenfeld (1991). "Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes.  A comparative Analysis of Policy Options to Control the International Waste Trade." International Environmental Affairs 1991: 26-63. (available for copying)

Optional Rdgs:
**Gregory, R., T. McDaniels, et al. (2001). “Decision Aiding, Not Dispute Resolution:  Creating Insights through Structured Environmental Decisions.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 20(3): 415-432 provides helpful guiding philosophy and brief illustrative examples.

2/25

Presenting the findings of policy analysis 

Rdgs:  Complete W&V, Ch. 10, concentrating for today's discussion on pp. 289-295.

Also, read Sec. VIII, "Tell Your Story" in Bardach. 

Finally, review the article on "Tradecraft" by Musso et al. from the second week of the class.

Memo 2 Due [formerly 2/23]

Image ID: figb0248, Historic NMFS Collection
Credit: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service 

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Week 9 THE POLICY ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK EXTENDED: POLICY ADOPTION, IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS

3/1

Political feasibility, policy adoption and policy implementation.

Rdgs:  W&V, Ch. 13, pp. 382-406. 

3/3

Policy and Program Evaluation

Rdgs:  Hershman, M.J., J.W. Good et al., (1999).  "The Effectiveness of Coastal Zone Management in the United States." Coastal Management 27(2-3):113-138. **

Good, J.W. et al., (1999). "Protecting Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands through State Coastal Zone Management Programs." Coastal Management 27(2-3):139-186.**

Optional Rdgs:  Good, J.W. (1994).  “Shore Protection Policies and Practices in Oregon: An Evaluation of Implementation Success"; Coastal Management 22: 325-352. (available for copying)

U.S. EPA (1994).  "Measuring Progress of Estuary Programs". EPA 842-B-94-009, November 1994 (24 pp.) (available for copying)

Guest Discussant?

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Week 10 STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

3/8 In-class presentations of student policy analysis reports 
Expect class time to be extended somewhat each day to allow adequate time for student presentations.

3/10 In-class presentations of student policy analysis reports 
Expect class time to be extended somewhat each day to allow adequate time for student presentations.

MEMO #3 DUE TWO DAYS AFTER YOUR IN-CLASS PRESENTATION