Policy Analysis Report, Research Paper Example

Executive Summary

The primary purpose of this executive summary is to give an overview of the policy analysis report. Others are listing the sectors that the information includes and giving an insight into the discussed sectors. The report is to make it easy for the one using the report to go through it fast and easily retain critical points. For this executive summary, its purpose is to provide an overview of the report’s background, report results by listing the models used, federal data presentation, economic predictor discussion, and the recommendation that can be implemented to make the sector more efficient.

Background

Policy analysis is known to have been used first during the post-world war two for military planning, which was conducted by RAND Corporation and some other organizations. In terms of organizations, it’s said to be used first in the health policy analysis. In the 1960s, it erupted as a sub-discipline putting together concepts of economics, sociology, history, public administration, and political science. A policy analysis report is essential for both the public and nonprofit organizations as it is carried out to solve problems facing the organization. Policy refers to the government’s formulated rules, guidelines, and regulations to solve public problems. Policy analysis includes practical activities that provide facts and statistics from collected data on the issue or problem at hand to solve it. It also aids in assessing how well the policies created by the government best meet their targeted goals. Social science theories and methods are applied when conducting public policy analysis. The most dealt with general crisis by the policy analysis specialist are the crimes, healthcare, educational, and environmental crises by making better policies that tackle the problems or reduce its negative impacts in society (Cheramie, L. M. 2018, p 19). For the analysis to be effective and ensure that a problem is effectively addressed, it has to be defined fast. Surveys can be conducted, brainstorming, and interviewing experts. Utilizing previous reports to ensure all information is on the table minimizes the chances of making a mistake. Coming up with the most effective policy to tackle the problem at hand requires identifying developing alternative policies, evaluating them, then choosing the most preferable one for implementation.

Research Results and models used

For most effective research results to be obtained in terms of the public policy made, effective models and methods need to be used. Some of the models used include the institutional model which focuses on the organizational governance in the past, that is, administration, common law, the constitutional provisions, and the making of the judicial decisions. Traditional policy research enables the making of effective policies for the organization. Systems model deals with the information, the input, output, and feedback. The input is the problem that needs to be solved, and the outcome is the actions taken, and the decision made to tackle the problem while the feedback is how the problem responds to the applied policy. The group model emerges when members of the public with the same interests come together to voice their demands to the government. The group or agencies help create a bridge between the two. Elite mass model is used to make policies where the information is distorted, apathy and large passive mass is being governed. The elite makes policies for the mass in the society where the elite has more power and a different class than the mass (Birkland, T. A. 2011, p 21). By using these models in policy analysis, the results of policies that are created include Incremental policy output that is ensuring satisfaction, bounded rationality, reduced cognition, and organizational drift. Public-sector strategic planning is another result where the daily demands of the public are reconciled to make plans. The rational policy is the result of considering all the possible alternatives and their consequences, then selecting the most appropriate. Argumentative turn is a policy analysis and planning approach that emphasizes the importance of including language, deliberation, and argumentation in policymaking (Hajer, Hoppe, Dunn, Jennings, Healey, Dryzek, & Rein, 1993, p 29). The approach integrates the normative and empirical questions in the methodology that adds more weight to the policy analysis.

Federal Data

Based on the reports by various federal organizations, the following data was obtained. The Government Accountability Office reported 168 new policies identified in their 10^th annual report (Bartfeld, & Dunifon, 2006, p 44). The public agenda report shows that the policy changes made on K-12 education indicate progress in college enrollment for the Hispanic students and achievements on race and income gaps that have reduced. 1995-1996 to 2015-2016 academic year, a 79% increase of the Hispanic students’ graduate was recorded, which was a result of an increase of the average annual financial aid for the low and middle-income students (Bartfeld, & Dunifon, 2006, p 44). The RAND Corporation on the intervention of COVID 19 has projected 34,000 to 56,000 cumulative fatalities by September 2020(Bartfeld, & Dunifon, 2006, p 46). The policy library shows that body metabolism starts to slow down at the age of 30 years, and the study indicates that over 22 million Americans are suffering from the slow metabolism symptoms such as fatigue and sleep disorders. The economic worker institute shows that 2.2 million United States residents work in private homes caring for the elderly and children with an average wage of $12.01 who are mostly Hispanic, blacks, or the Asian Americans(Bartfeld, & Dunifon, 2006, p 54). The heritage foundation reports that there are 1285 cases of voter fraud that have been proven in the United States. All this federal data recorded is beneficial for policymaking.

Economic Predictors

The economy is predicted by factors such as the price of the commodities, the production, the citizens’ incomes, the state’s investments, and the employment status. These factors affect the stability of the economy in any given country (Weimer & Vining, 2017, p 21). The rise or the fall of the economy need to be predicted for future policies to be made to ensure stability, which is made possible by the economic indicators listed above. Analyzing the economic indicators helps create policies that will evade the economy’s fall in the predicted future. With the economic indicators being used right by the analyst, the health and future of the economy are safe. The leading indicators used by most policy analysts for future economic predictions include the consumer durables, share price, the yield curve, and business formulations. Coincident indicators refer to the gross domestic product, retail sales, and employment help identify the activities of various regions in the economy.  The lagging indicators are used after the predicted event has occurred, which include the unemployment rates, the gross national product, and the CIP. The stock market is an indicator that predicts where the economy is headed. For the economic indicator to be effective, it has to be interpreted correctly. Several or all the indicators have to be considered when determining how to make the economy grow in the future. This will aid in making the right decisions and policies that will help maintain the economy’s stability and growth.

Recommendations

Based on the federal data, more policies to better the lives of the low and middle waged Americans, mostly black, Hispanic, and Asian, need to be made and implemented. The education scholarships and financial aid for those students who have qualified but cannot afford the fee need to be availed more to make their future better and the society at large. More corporations need to join hands with RAND Corporation to help predict more effectively on the health care trends for better accurate and useful policies to be made, for example, on the COVID 19 pandemic.  Healthcare institutes also need to take the predictions given by the corporation seriously and use them to make policies that will keep the world safe and reduce the duration that the pandemic will affect the world. The existence of voter fraud in America should be taken seriously by the policymakers. Better policies should be identified, evaluated, and implemented to avoid undermining the people’s voice, such as using high technology, making the security tighter, and ensuring the policymakers are not biased. With recommendations on public policy analysis, society will be improved and better.

References

Weimer, D. L., & Vining, A. R. (2017). Policy analysis: Concepts and practice. Taylor & Francis.https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xT4lDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Weimer,+D.+L.,+%26+Vining,+A.+R.+(2017).+Policy+analysis:+Concepts+and+practice.+Taylor+%26+Francis.&ots=et9ZZh_XVq&sig=h79vPgKjfJVvJyILH_dwPH2VA94&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Bartfeld, J., & Dunifon, R. (2006). State?level predictors of food insecurity among households with children. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management: the Journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, 25(4), 921-942.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pam.20214

Cheramie, L. M. (2018). Mixed-Method Analysis of Apparel Corporations for Future Policy Development.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=4441&context=etd

Birkland, T. A. (2011). An introduction to the policy process: theories, concepts, and models of public policy making/by Thomas A. Birkland.http://repository.fue.edu.eg/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/3431/5684.pdf?sequence=1

Hajer, M. A., Hoppe, R., Dunn, W., Jennings, B., Healey, P., Dryzek, J., … & Rein, M. (1993). The argumentative turn in policy analysis and planning. Duke University Press.https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=95IsUilBzdUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Fischer,+F.,+%26+Forester,+J.+(Eds.).+(1993).+The+argumentative+turn+in+policy+analysis+and+planning.+Duke+University+Press.&ots=CAyj9OFGtz&sig=iUmBkRhRA4T9PNI8wzNVq7WKQ70&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Fischer%2C%20F.%2C%20%26%20Forester%2C%20J.%20(Eds.).%20(1993).%20The%20argumentative%20turn%20in%20policy%20analysis%20and%20planning.%20Duke%20University%20Press.&f=false