Select two (2) editorials / essays / columns (by staff or freelance writers) on a current issue of public policy from two (2) different publications

PUBLIC POLICY Stakeholder Analysis

Select two (2) editorials / essays / columns (by staff or freelance writers) on a current issue of public policy from two (2) different publications (large metropolitan or national newspaper such as Washington Post or the New York Times or national magazines such as Newsweek, Time, and The New Republic.)

1. Apply the procedures for argumentation analysis to display contending positions and underlying assumptions for the content of the 2 publications.

2. Rate the assumptions and plot them according to their plausibility and importance. (Refer to Figure 3.16, “Distribution of warrant by plausibility and importance.”)

3. Determine which arguments are the most plausible. Provide a rationale for your views.

(Note: Refer to Demonstration Exercise 1 located at the end of Chapter 3 for criteria 4-6. Examine Box 3.0 – Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis. Choose one of the following policy issues in the U.S. gun control, illegal drugs, medical insurance fraud, and environmental protection of waterways, job creation, affordable health care, or Medicare.)

4. Generate a list of at least five to ten (5-10) stakeholders who affect or are affected by problems in the issue area chosen for analysis.

5. After creating a cumulative frequency distribution from the list, discuss new ideas generated by each stakeholder. (Note: The ideas may be objectives, alternatives, outcomes causes, etc.; ideas should not be duplicates.)

6. Write an analysis of the results of the frequency distribution that answers the following questions: (a) Does the line graph flatten out? (b) If so, after how many stakeholders? (c) What conclusions can be drawn about the policy problems in the issue area?

7. Include at least two (2) peer-reviewed references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook to support your views.