Doing Ethical Policy

Analysis
What is Policy
Analysis?
Policy recommendations, or simply written
policy advice, are the key means through
which policy decisions are made in most
levels of government.
Whether the policy recommendation is
accepted as sound or dismissed in favor of
another option largely depends on how
well the issue and the arguments justifying
the recommended course of action are
presented.

A step-by-step guide
Step 1: Defining the problem
Step 2: Establishing goals
Step 3: Selecting a policy
Step 4: Implementing a policy
Step 5: Evaluating the policy
Policy Analysis and Ethical
Practice

define the problem at hand
assemble some evidence about the
problem, its causes, and its effects
construct a set of alternative ways to
address the problem
select the criteria for judging the relative
merits of each alternative
project the likely outcomes of each
alternative, given the chosen criteria

note the trade-offs associated with
pursuing each alternative
decide what alternative seems most
appropriate, given the selected criteria,
projected outcomes, and expected trade-
offs
present the findings of the analysis and
the conclusions drawn from it.
Policy Analysis and Ethical
Practice

1. What is the problem we want to address
and/or the result we want to achieve and
why? What is our purpose here?

2. Who has a particular interest with
respect to this issue and what is the
nature of that interest?
3. What values are at stake with respect
to this issue?
4. What relevant evidence emotions and
moral intuitions into practical public
reasoning about the right thing to do?
5. What options are implementable at
what cost, and which of these are most
likely to secure a democratic mandate?
6. How can we protect the dignity and rights
of individuals and minorities while
promoting the
public good?
Doing Ethical Policy Analysis

Policy analysts are called to close
knowledge gaps faced by decision
makers. Given inherent information
asymmetries in these relationships,
decision makers must place trust in policy
analysts to act ethically. Having discussed
five ethical principles for policy analysts,
we now explore the implications those
principles hold for the actions of policy
analysts at each step in their work.

Ethics Defined

Moral codes are the rules that
establish the boundaries of generally
accepted behavior.
Morality refers to social conventions
about right and wrong human
conduct.
Ethics are beliefs regarding right
and wrong behavior.
The core values of ethics can
help us evaluate the rationality
and acceptability of public
policies formulated to address
social problems or market
imperfections that arise in
cyberspace.
Ethics and Work
must strive to promote
outcomes that are good
for society
must be transparent about
the choices embodied in
their work.
Five ethical principles
INTEGRITY
When people act with integrity, they are
directed by an internal moral compass.
They strive to do the right thing in any
given situation and to achieve consistency
in their intentions and actions across
contexts.
People display integrity when they follow
high standards of honesty and when they
show commitment to the values of justice
and fairness.
People of integrity do not seek selfish,
short-term gains through opportunistic
actions that harm others.

Competence
A strong relationship exists
between competence and ethical
behaviour. When you talk or act as if you
can do something, then the qualities of
honesty and integrity dictate that you can
actually do it. It is dishonest for anyone to
say they can do something when they
cannot. Most professionals have
specialised knowledge and skills, making
them highly competent in a narrow set of
areas.
Respect

means being considerate and appreciative
of others. It means treating others as you
would like to be treated (Plante 2004)

The tough part of respect is looking for the
humanity, the good, and the
reasonableness in people who our gut
instincts lead us to despise
Responsibility

Taking responsibility means
acknowledging the part you play in
contributing to expected or observed
outcomes. It is commonplace for people to
willingly accept the credit when good
outcomes occur but to deflect blame for
poor outcomes.
Concern
Concern means caring about,
showing an interest in, and being involved
in the lives of others. When people devote
their lives to working with and advancing
the interests of the poor, they demonstrate
exceptional levels of concern for others.
Without making that level of sacrifice,
many people through their work, their
philanthropy, and their acts of altruism
do an enormous amount to help others to
live better lives.

Ethical Analysis Format

1. State The Moral Issues
2. Apply Ethical Principles
3. Identify Options
4. Make A Recommendations/Decisions
Ethical Construction of
Alternatives

we should include alternatives that
appear most relevant, given the
problem and discussions surrounding it
the set of alternatives should be
constructed taking account of the
broader financial context
the construction of alternatives offers
an opportunity for policy analysts to
broaden policy discussions
we should treat our analysis as a
vehicle for facilitating discussion of
additional alternatives
Ethical Problem
identify relevant
stakeholder
groups and
learn how
members of
those groups
see the problem
and how they
would like it to
be addressed.
assess their
findings
and identify
the key
lines of
disagreem
ent
Ethical Decision Making

It is important to develop a logical approach
to ethical decision making. Here are some
steps:
Get the facts.
Identify the stakeholders and their
positions.
Consider the consequences of your
decision.
Weigh various guidelines and principles
(Virtue,Utilitarian, Fairness, Common
Good).
Ethical Decision Making

Develop and evaluate options.

Review your decision.

Evaluate the results of your decision.
Ethical Selection of Criteria
Efficiency, equity, and administrative
simplicity