• Define the problem
• Gather evidence
• Identify causes
• Evaluate a policy
• Develop solutions
• Select best solution
• Benefits & Costs
• The Prince System
• Political Strategies

• Information Tools
• Student Resources
• Teacher Information
• Site Map
• Help

Defining the social problem

As a public policy analyst, your group or your class will first need to select a problem topic and then specifically define a social problem. A social problem is a condition that at least some people in a community view as being undesirable.

Here are some steps to consider in selecting and defining a social problem for your public policy analysis:

• Review the Sample list of science-related societal problems.

• Be sure that the problem can be addressed by passing a law.

• From the list (or additions that were made), select a social problem that everyone would be interested in studying.

• Decide on the specific community location in which to study the problem. Many social problems exist on the local, state and national levels. However, you must decide at which level you wish to focus. For example, if you wish to use the topic of child abuse as a national social problem, then you will focus on evaluating existing laws that have been enacted by Congress (step 4) and develop new congressional legislation in step 5. Likewise, child abuse as a problem confronting New York State will lead to developing new proposed state laws as a solution.

• Define your specific social problem by using one of methods in the Information Tools.

• See an example

• Worksheet1: "Defining the social problem"(MSWORD)
• Worksheet1: "Defining the social problem"(HTML)