Chapter 13

Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.

1. The case of the Patient Self Determination Act of 1990 suggests some recurring problems or issues in implementation. Critically discuss:
a) Why policymakers often establish goals or objectives that exceed the resources that they propose in their policies.
b) Why it is difficult to obtain accurate data on the implementation of specific policies.
c) How multiple factors contribute to the failure of people to implement specific policies
d) Why line staff are often scapegoated as the people who cause specific policies to not be implemented when, in fact, more fundamental causes exist.

2. Discuss some characteristics of policy innovations that make it relatively difficult to implement them (e.g., discuss characteristics of the innovations themselves, as well as their political and economic context). Can you think of ones that have been particularly difficult to implement, whether in national settings or in agencies?

3. Discuss 3 or 4 alternative reform strategies that policy advocates can use when they seek to improve the implementation of specific policies.

4. Discuss whether social workers might ever try to sabotage the implementation of specific policies. What ethical issues might they confront?


5. The implementation part of the policy-making process:licy-making process

6. A characteristic of a policy innovation that will probably be relatively difficult to implement is:


7. Administrative regulations are:

8. Monitoring is:

9. Organizational processes that precede an innovation:

10. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 illustrates:

11. When diagnosing reasons why specific settings, such as a particular agency or
program, fail to implement a specific policy, policy advocates should:

12. Policy advocates: