ExplainerSkills

What Is Policy Thinking?

Policy thinking is the ability to examine public or organizational issues through the lens of rules, interventions, evidence, stakeholders, incentives, trade-offs, and implementation.

A policy thinker asks

What problem are we trying to address? Who is affected? What evidence describes the problem? What interventions are available? Who gains or bears costs? What unintended consequences might occur? Can the policy actually be implemented? How will success be measured?

More than having an opinion

Policy thinking requires considering systems, evidence, competing interests, feasibility, and consequences.

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