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Evaluating the Policy

Identifying Benefits

Benefits are consequences of a policy that are good for the society or some parts of the society. Some benefits are tangible and easy to measure in dollars or numbers. Examples may include that a policy:

  • Saved the taxpayers $1,000,000
  • Reduced auto deaths by 20%
  • Increased the graduation rate by 7%
Some benefits are intangible and harder to measure. Security cameras in a parking garage may make people feel safer. Some school policies can improve student morale.

Three sources of benefits are:

  • The action itself
  • The intended consequences of the policy
  • The unintended consequences of the policy
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. The 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Both of those policies consisted of good actions. The policies themselves made our society more democratic.

Suppose a city installs a stop sign to replace a yield sign at an intersection. The intended consequence is to reduce auto accidents. A year later, the number of accidents drops by 30% at that intersection. The new stop sign may also have unintended consequences. More parents may walk their children to the neighborhood park because they feel that intersection is safer.

Worksheet5: "Identifying Benefits"(HTML Version)
Worksheet5: "Identifying Benefits"(MSWORD Version)

Example

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