MSW 513 Module 5 Evaluating Social Policies

Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health

Lesson 6 Summary Page 1

LESSON 6: SELECTING AND COMMUNICATING POLICY OPTIONS

In this lesson, you learned how to compare the policy options, and use your professional judgment to apply criteria to them, then select one or more to share with stakeholders and decision-makers.

• Compare and contrast policy options according to criteria.

• Select viable policy options or a combination of options for the identified demographics.

• Describe public health’s role in communicating policy options and recommendations.

• Identify various formats for communicating policy analysis and recommendations.

• Explain a role for policy analysis in public health.

KEY POINTS

• Once you’ve assessed each individual policy option according to your criteria, you can then use a policy analysis rating table (or “decision matrix”) to compare and contrast different policy options by those criteria.

• The policy analysis table is just one way that you can visually illustrate your analysis so that decision makers can arrive at a decision with a clear and organized understanding of risks and benefits. This can be a useful exercise and once you understand the process, you can adapt it for your needs.

• It may be useful to unpack the main criteria categories and conduct analysis on individual components, rather than the criteria as a whole.

• Including a scoring system to help assess your options will allow you to rank, or prioritize, them.

• Prioritization is an important strategy (rather than simply selecting an option) because there may be an opportunity to move forward with more than one option, or to combine options.

• Combining options is a creative way to pull the highest ranking components from various options and create a better option. When this process is used, existing options can be improved.

• Policy analysis can support accomplishment of public health goals in that it can:

• Provide a clear and organized structure for analyzing problems and considering solutions.

• Assist policy makers and other stakeholders as they consider various policy alternatives objectively and comprehensively.

• Help all parties consider crucial aspects of a policy, including scientific evidence, economic consequences, social effects, political ramifications, and trade-offs.

• Aid the translation of science into evidence- based policy.