by Paul von Hippel
September 6, 2016

Definition

For a policy (such as class-size reduction): What is the policy, and what are its goals? Give an illustration, and distinguish the policy from other policies with which it might be confused.

For a problem (such as campus sexual assault): What is the problem, and what are its consequences?

Political background: Interest groups and ideologies

If no evidence were available about the policy's effects, what groups would be predisposed to support it? How does the policy impact those group's interests or relate to their ideologies?

Likewise, what groups would be predisposed to oppose the policy, and why?

Cite evidence – e.g., quoting group leaders or providing statistical evidence of how the groups take sides when the issue is being debated.

Evidence

Effects

Has the policy been tried yet? Have its effects been evaluated? What evidence is there that the policy has achieved its goals (e.g., increasing test scores or graduation rates?

Is there evidence that the policy has not achieved its goals?

Is there evidence that policy has had unintended consequences – i.e., that implementing it has inadvertently made another problem worse?

How strong is the evidence? Is it clear that the policy caused the effects, or could other explanations be offered for the observed changes? Are the effects of the policy small or large? Are they small or large compared to the policy's costs?

How broad is the evidence? Has the evidence been widely replicated, or is it limited to a single time and place?

Mechanisms

Do we understand how the policy has its effects? Is it a black box, or is it pretty clear what happens when the policy is implemented that leads to the intended and unintended consequences.

References

List references here and cite them in (Author, date) format in the text. There is a Confluence plugin that can manage references, but for now we'll handle them manually.