Public Policy Process
We have a responsibility as elected officials to do good public policy in the best interest of all the people. - Maxine Waters
One of the critical purposes of the public policy process is to determine which programs should be pursued and supported. One of the tools increasingly used by agencies as part of their evaluation and management for those programs are logic models. These models provide an overview of how the program in question will produce the proposed outcomes by providing a diagram of the key program variables.
The work product example provided below is a short memo with logic model proposing a local government adopt a new program. The logic model is provided to allow an easier evaluation of the key elements of the proposed program and how it will achieve its goals. The logic model may also be used in evaluating the effectiveness of such a program if it is adopted. In the work product example provided, the model is presented in two iterations. The first is a simple model with the only two variables: program (the cause/independent variable) and the desired outcome (the effect/dependent variable). The second model includes more intervening variables explaining how the program will achieve the desired effect.
This work product example is a revised version of an assignment completed for my Applied Research class. The memo was completed solely for the assignment and was not sent.
The public policy process often must address complex, multi-faceted issues with long-term consequences, especially when decisions concerning the allocation of limited public resources are involved. The work product example provided below analyzes one such policy decision. The work product analyzes whether the 2010 policy decision of Governor Chris Christie to cancel the Hudson River Tunnel Project, commonly known as Access to the Region’s Core or ARC project, was a correct, supportable policy decision.
More than a decade later, that policy decision still has direct consequences for the region. As of 2021, the agencies that were involved in the ARC project are still working to find a way forward to meet the increasingly urgent needs the ARC project was meant to address. The analysis of Christie's policy decision also shows the value of and need for utilizing a pre-established public, transparent process as an integral part of the public policy process.
This work product example is a revised version of an assignment completed for my Capital Budgeting & Debt Management class.
Use of technology to perform government services has become ubiquitous. The prevalence of technology in all facets of government is, in part, due to the public policy decisions to invest in and implement information technology systems to facilitate both internal and external processes. While use of technology is widely accepted as resulting in more efficient and effective public service delivery, it is not a panacea for all issues. Further, it is not uncommon for the implementation of technology projects to fail to be successful. Given the limitations and pitfalls of technology projects, it is important to consider all aspects of what makes a technology project successful when making the policy decision to invest in and implement such projects.
The work product example provided below is a case study of the implementation of a technology project for a service department at a university. The case study examines four areas policy makers need to evaluate and address when determining whether to undertake a technology project and how to help ensure such a project, once undertaken, will be successful.
This work product example is a case study completed for my Management Information Systems class along with its corresponding presentation. The paper and presentation were jointly prepared and presented by me and Allie O’Connor, a co-worker and fellow student in the class. We both contributed equally to the paper and the presentation. This paper and presentation are included as part of this portfolio with Ms. O’Connor’s written permission.