Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
Policy Analysis Framework Paper
- This assignment will enhance your skills in political analysis and strategies aimed at influencing policy changes.
- Read the assignment directions carefully.
- APA 7TH edition requires , in text citation mandatory
- pls see attached rubric and attached instructions
- Thanks
MODULE 2: POLICY ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK PAPER Purpose: This assignment will enhance your Skills in political analysis and strategies aimed at influencing policy changes. Directions: Upload a 5 paged double spaced paper (excluding cover page and reference page) 1. Define Context of the Policy Issue/ Problem: Briefly describe the political context for the issue under examination. Include the socio-political, economic, ethical, historical, cultural factors relevant to the issue. This step is crucial in forming the basis for the policy analysis. Include the 5Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why and how) aspects of the issue. Provide a specific practice based concern or public health issue of concern at State or National level. 2. Policy Lenses: Briefly discuss how your personal values, beliefs, experiences, ethics, political philosophies and ideologies guide your views about the issue. 3. Describe a specific policy framework/model of choice that applies to your issue 4. Evidence Based Policy Change: Discuss research and evidence based policy change strategies and options to address the issue. Using a balanced approach discuss at least two alternative policy responses for consideration Examine the “best practices” of other agencies, as well as emerging policy proposals. 5. Apply the selected model/framework and analyze the political feasibility of solving the issue using the selected framework. What are the key concepts in the model/framework? How does your policy issue fit within this framework? What are the barriers and facilitators in addressing the issue? How can you advance this issue on the policy agenda? Who holds the power to advance this issue? What networks and coalitions exist that are involved in this issue 6. Recommendations: Of the two policy alternatives you presented, end your policy analysis with a summary of the preferred policy option. Justify why this option is preferred. Conclude with a discussion of the implications for nursing leadership policy and practice. Criteria Possible Points(100) 10 Points Earned Comments Policy Issue Description: Provide comprehensive overview of health policy issue to include socio-economic, political, cultural and ethical aspects of the issue Policy Lenses: discuss how values, beliefs, experiences, 20 political philosophy, and political ideologies influence decision making Policy Analysis Framework: Describe and apply a 20 specific policy framework/model of choice to the health policy issue of interest Evidence Based Policy Change: Discuss research and 20 evidence based policy change strategies and options to address the issue. Using a balanced approach discuss at least two alternative policy responses for consideration Recommendations: Provide justification for policy 20 recommendation and discuss implications for nursing health policy and practice Clear grammar, spelling, writing style, references, double 10 spaced paper within five page limit (excluding references and title page) and APA style. Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
Headings are expected. Please use the grading criterial items for headings. TOTAL 100 Submit: Policy Analysis Framework Paper by the end of Week 2 on Saturday night at 11.59pm Module 2: Policy Analysis Framework Paper Module 2: Policy Analysis Framew Criteria This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePolicy Issue Description: Provide comprehensive overview of health policy issue to include socioeconomic, political, cultural and ethical aspects of the issue This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePolicy Lenses: discuss how values, beliefs, experiences, political philosophy, and political ideologies influence decision making This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePolicy Analysis Framework: Describe and apply a specific policy framework/model of choice to the health policy issue of interest This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEvidence Based Policy Change: Discuss research and evidence based policy change strategies and options to address the issue. Using a balanced approach discuss at least two alternative policy responses for consideration 10.0 to >7.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 7.0 to >4.0 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit 20.0 to >16.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 16.0 to >1 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit 20.0 to >16.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 16.0 to >1 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit 20.0 to >16.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 16.0 to >1 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit Module 2: Policy Analysis Framew Criteria This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRecommendations: Provide justification for policy recommendation and discuss implications for nursing health policy and practice This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClear grammar, spelling, writing style, references, double spaced paper within five page limit (excluding references and title page) and APA style. Headings are expected. Please use the grading criterial items for headings. Total Points: 100.0 PreviousNext 20.0 to >16.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 16.0 to >1 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit 10.0 to >7.0 pts Exceeds Expectations Work exceeds criterion at a high level of competence 7.0 to >4.0 Meets Exp Work refle criterion. W format wit See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8070584 Health policy analysis: A simple tool for policy makers Article in Public Health · April 2005 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2004.03.006 · Source: PubMed CITATIONS READS 55 22,932 1 author: Tea Collins World Health Organization WHO 14 PUBLICATIONS 1,404 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: NCDs and UHC View project All content following this page was uploaded by Tea Collins on 10 November 2017. Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Public Health (2005) 119, 192–196 Health policy analysis: a simple tool for policy makers T. Collins* Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA Received 26 August 2003; received in revised form 10 February 2004; accepted 23 March 2004 Available online 18 October 2004 KEYWORDS Health policy; Policy analysis; Health outcomes Summary Policy analysis is not an easy task. Its scope is broad and can include both the analysis of policy process and the analysis of policy content. This paper is concerned with the analysis of policy content and offers some practical guidance regarding how to analyse health policy and link it to health outcomes. An eight-step framework for policy analysis is proposed that public health policy makers and public health practitioners may find especially useful due to its simplicity. Q 2004 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Policy analysis can be a troublesome task. Its scope is broad and problems can arise when deciding which aspects of policy to analyse. Much academic work, for example, focuses on the analysis of major stakeholders and their influence on decision making. But what are the options that policy makers face, and which of them will result in desirable outcomes? What are the consequences of policies if they are implemented?. In looking at policy analysis, an important distinction should be made between analysis of policy process and the analysis of policy content. The main focus of process analysis is policy formulation and the main focus of content analysis is the substance of policy. Content analysis examines a significant policy issue and explores the options to tackle this issue.1 *Address: 4515 Willard Avenue, Suite 2014, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA. Tel.: þ1-202-302-4785. E-mail address: tcollins@gwu.edu This paper is concerned with the analysis of policy content and offers some practical guidance regarding how to analyse policy and link it to health outcomes. Policy analysis illustrates the need for interventions that highlight and address important policy issues, improve the policy implementation process and lead to better health outcomes. This paper will begin by defining the terms ‘policy analysis’ and ‘health policy’, and will explore different approaches to public policy analysis. It will also offer a framework for health policy analysis that could be a useful tool for policy makers due to its simplicity. Different approaches to policy analysis Policy analysis is a generic name for a range of techniques and tools to study the characteristics of established policies, how the policies came to be and what their consequences are. Although increasing in importance in academic circles, policy analysis is not yet considered a unified field of 0033-3506/$ – see front matter Q 2004 The Royal Institute of Public Health.Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2004.03.006 Health policy analysis: a simple tool for policy makers study.2 The main concern of policy analysis is the outcomes of health policies or the effects that the policy has on people. There are different methodologies for public policy analysis. Dunn suggested that policy analysis should incorporate five general procedures common to most efforts at human problem solving: definition; prediction; prescription; description and evaluation. Definition provides information about the conditions that contribute to a policy problem. Prediction provides information about future consequences of acting on policy alternatives, including doing nothing. Prescription provides information about the relative value of these future consequences in solving the problem. Description provides information about the present and past consequences of acting on policy alternatives. Finally, evaluation provides information about the value or worth of these consequences in solving the problem.3 Portney referred to the three approaches of policy analysis: policy making; cause and consequence; and the policy prescription.4 The policy making approach to policy analysis defines public policy not as a product of government action but as a political process. A proposal must move through the following five stages to become a policy: problem formation; policy formulation; policy adoption; policy implementation and policy evaluation. The cause and consequence approach to policy analysis is focused on intended or unintended impacts of governmental decisions or nondecisions. It uses terminology from system analysis, such as inputs, outputs and outcomes. Policy prescription looks ahead. It attempts to use a variety of economic, mathematical, computer science and operations research techniques to answer the question: what should the government do in the future? Pal offered a broader but brief definition of policy analysis: ‘the disciplined application of intellect to public problems’.5 Since it focuses on broad questions and on the future, policy analysis is subject to considerable uncertainty. According to Bardach, policy analysis is more art than science. It draws on intuition as much as method. Bardach proposed a practical framework for public policy analysis, which he referred to as the ‘eight-fold path’. The following eight steps form the bases of the path: (1) define the problem; (2) assemble the evidence; (3) construct the alternatives; (4) select the criteria; (5) project the outcomes; (6) confront the trade offs; (7) decide; and (8) tell your story.6 It is worth noting that going through these steps is not necessarily a linear process. Often, it can be 193 iterative. Bardach’s framework does not require sophisticated methods of analysis; Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion
it is focused on the policy issue and can be accomplished by policy makers in a relatively short period of time. Health policy analysis The different policy analysis methodologies above refer to general public policy analysis, but how does one go about analysing health policies? At the outset, it is important to understand what is meant by ‘health policy’. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health policy as an agreement or consensus on the health issues, goals and objectives to be addressed, the priorities among those objectives, and the main directions for achieving them.7 The WHO’s approach to public health policy ‘puts health on the agenda of policymakers in all sectors and at all levels, directing them to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions and to accept their responsibilities for health’.8 However, health policy decisions are not always the result of a rational process of discussion and evaluation of how a particular objective should be met. The context in which the decisions are made is often highly political—concerning the degree of public provision of health care and who pays for it. Health policy decisions also depend on value judgements, which in any society are implicit, but are very important to understand in order for policy to be implemented, for example, the value placed on women and their health.9 Walt differentiated policies by dividing them into ‘high politics’ and ‘low politics’. High politics issues or macro-policies (such as major economic decisions or national security) involve the longterm objectives of the state and those in power, as opposed to low politics issues or micro-policies that involve mainly sectoral interests. In health, many policies often fall into the category of low politics. However, as Walt stated, a low politics issue can shift and become a high politics issue over time. A health policy maker needs to be aware of these constraints and develop a sense of what is urgent and feasible.10 Health policy analysis is a political as well as social activity and could be very time consuming. However, in today’s fast-paced environment, health policy makers may face a daunting reality of having to make important decisions in a very short period of time. Most frameworks proposed in the health policy literature use particular concepts and models in order to explain health policies in abstract, theoretical terms and focus mainly on 194 macro-analysis of political systems, including the role of the state. This paper proposes a more simplified framework for health policy analysis for policy makers who need to make decisions on health issues. The framework is adapted from Bardach and offers step-by-step guidance for policy analysis that will be very valuable for practitioners who do not have much time, resources and/or experience in conducting policy analysis studies. The following steps comprise the suggested framework: (1) define the context; (2) state the problem; (3) search for evidence; (4) consider different policy options; (5) project the outcomes; (6) apply evaluative criteria; (7) weigh the outcomes; and (8) make the decision. Policy Analysis Framework Paper Discussion