A Problem description
1. How complete is our knowledge of the problem?
2. Are our efforts to deal with the problem in accord with research findings?
3. What population is affected by the problem?
a. Size
b. Defining Characteristics
c. Distribution
4. What theory or theories of human behavior are explicit or, more likely, implicit in the policy?
5. What are the major social values related to the problem, and what value conflicts exist?
6. What are the goals of the policy under analysis?
a. Manifest (stated) goals
b. Latent (unstated) goals
c. Degree of consensus regarding goals
7. What are the hypotheses implicit or explicit in the statement of the problem and goals?
IV. Economic Analysis
A. What are the effects and/or potential effects of the policy on the functioning of the economy as a whole – output, income, inflation, unemployment, and so forth (macroeconomic analysis)?
B. What are the effects and/or potential effects of the policy on the behavior of individuals, firms, and markets – motivation to work, cost of rent, supply of commodities, and so forth (microeconomic analysis)?
C. Opportunity cost; cost/benefit analysis
V. Political Analysis
A. Who are the major stakeholders regarding this particular policy/program?
1. What is the power base of the policy/program’s supporters?
2. What is the power base of the policy/program’s opponents?
3. How well are the policy’s/program’s intended beneficiaries represented in the ongoing development and implementation of the policy/program?
B. How has the policy/program been legitimized? Is this basis for legitimation still current?
C. To what extent is the policy/program an example of rational decision making, incremental change, or change brought about by conflict?
D. What are the political aspects of the implementation of the policy/program?
VI. Policy/Program evaluation
A. What are the outcomes of the policy/program in relation to the stated goals?
B. What are the unintended consequences of the policy/program?
C. Is the policy/program cost-effective?
VII. Current Proposals for Policy Reform
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