Contested Values and Policy
Since the author prefers the freedom of some groups more than others, Stone has no issue with diminishing the liberty of the affluent to enhance the space of others. John Stuart Mill and those who have a negative view of freedom would disagree with this concept of liberty. Individuals, for instance, possess a vast array of qualities, skills, and capabilities that may be used to safeguard the valuable resources and opportunities of society (Stone, 2012). To achieve equality, the government must take money and positions from wealthy people and give them to disadvantaged persons. Thus, the purpose is to analyze the notion of freedom and values, policy and the logic model, and methods of program evaluation.
Using policy narratives, officials often raise worries as a background for the desired activity. It does not imply that people intentionally produce damage and devastation to have something to do; instead, they explain the world to make their abilities, and chosen course of action seem significant. Thus, when one begins to count a characteristic, the person builds a community of like-minded individuals, and the question of what matters and what does not emerge (Wholey et al., 2015). Sometimes, the distinction between which factors are essential and which are not is murky, it depends on policies aid in the organization of activities. Using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, one may modify the quantities people measure to resolve conflicts. In the scientific world, where numbers represent objectivity, precision, and correctness, it goes against the spirit of exactness. As a vital component of political maneuvering, other people, leaders, organizations, and government agencies create mental obstacles for individuals.
Policy Analysis and the Logic Model
The difficulty for policymakers is establishing the optimal numerical representation of the issue. There are unlimited ways to express anything using numbers, which implies challenges in this area. The method by which numbers are applied to explain topics will vary depending on the objective of the policy study. For instance, Stone believes that redistribution of wealth improves freedom by equalizing resources and generating human choice for those who would not otherwise have any (Stone, 2012). The author argues that liberty exists on a continuum, such that slight constraints on an individual’s freedom might substantially boost the release of another. The writer also contends that compulsory collaboration to urge society to solve issues does not constitute a trade-off between liberty and equality. In addition, Stone states that policy analysis is deficient if it fails to account for the relationship between informal and moral roles (Stone, 2012). Thus, I fully agree, but I would comment on two issues. First, if some rules from a source with solid internal convictions are used to establish a policy, the process will be biased against an isolated group.
Program managers are challenged to describe and evaluate their projects in unique ways. The logic modeling approach permits the production of a typical representation of a program’s projected performance. The short-term and long-term outcomes, along with the logical connections between program activities, outputs for consumers, and resources are illustrated by the logic model. Critical monitoring and evaluation areas may be defined following the creation of this predicted performance model (Wholey et al., 2015). Finally, agreed success expectations should be represented by the measurement plan and the logic model, which were developed in agreement with program stakeholders.
Methods of Program Evaluation
The public and nonprofit sectors need program managers who can explain and evaluate programs in unique ways. People anticipate managers to explain how and why a specific program addresses a particular problem. In contrast to managers, assessors are provided with well-defined and standardized techniques to facilitate their tasks. The outcomes of experimental evaluations may be employed immediately or in the future, contributing to the development of a more conclusive assessment. It is feasible to improve a program’s quality by using the information gained from each of these four program assessment approaches (Wholey et al., 2015). Rapid feedback evaluations and small-sample studies, for instance, both provide conventional measures of program success in terms of predetermined goals.
Similarly, evaluation systems and program evaluation methodologies continue to emphasize outcomes. Numerous hopeful reforms have been implemented, and the fact that issues about accountability must yet be addressed does not negate the fact that this bodes well for the future (Wholey et al., 2015). The objective of proponents of performance measurement is to develop the organization where it no longer needs to be measured. If random assignment is impractical or impossible, it is possible to compare program results to those of an untreated comparator group. If evaluators have access to more dependable data sources, they will be able to use more effective comparison group designs. To reduce bias in the evaluation of the program impact, one may use matching, value-added, interrupted time-series, fixed-effect, regression discontinuity research, and matching designs.
The widespread use of random allocation in research throughout the twenty-first century has been recognized as one of the most influential and important contributions to health and social science, providing the effectiveness of the process. Thorough research needs to be carried out to forestall the possibility of future funders of randomized controlled trials ignoring non – pharmaceutical public healthcare study therapeutic strategies as treatment options.
References
Stone, D. (2012). Policy paradox: The art of political decision making. (3rd ed.). W.W. Norton & Company
Wholey, J. S., Hatry, H. P., & Newcomer, K. E. (2015). Handbook of practical program evaluation. John Wiley & Sons.