INSTRUCTIONS

1800 words essays APA style

One of the final stages in the policy process is the evaluation stage. Evaluation, according to Anderson, consists of "the estimation, appraisal, or assessment of a policy, its content, implementation, goal attainment, and other effects". The results of the evaluation are then utilized to strengthen, modify, or terminate the policy. Thus, the evaluation stage is one of feedback for policymakers. One governmental organization that is charged with evaluating the programs of administrative agencies is the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Other executive departments have undersecretaries whose job is to prepare evaluation reports on the various programs under the control of the department. Some of these departments are the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Choose a recent report from the GAO or one of the executive departments on a substantive policy area that interests you. After reading the report, answer the following questions:

• What kind of evaluation design, if any, did the researchers utilize? If they did not use one of the three described by Anderson, how did they prepare their research?

• Can you identify any of the problems of policy evaluation listed by Anderson (for example, uncertainty over policy goals, difficulties in data acquisition, or difficulties in determining causality) in the report? If so, which ones? In your opinion, what impact did these problems have on the overall effectiveness of the report?

• Was cost-benefit analysis utilized in your report? If so, do you think that it was used appropriately and fairly? Why or why not?

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

The website of the GAO has electronic copies of the reports it has issued, categorized by date, topic, and agency. The reports require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

US Department of Labor

This website is the Department of Labor's online research library.

US Department of Health and Human Services

This website is the Department of Health and Human Services online research collection.