Policy Development: David Mac Donald's Five Keys to Good Policy Analysis
(Inspired by David Mac Donald, Employment and Social Development Canada)
When developing a policy, program or service, ask yourself these key questions to help identify the issue or problem.
- Why are you developing a policy/program/service? What are the core policy principles at play (role of government, mandate of the federal government, part of government priorities)?
- Is it a real problem? What is the evidence base? Have you applied the policy lenses (Gender-based analysis+, Indigenous, Youth, Persons with Disability, Sustainability, Official Languages, Privacy, etc.)?
- What are other governments or entities doing about this issue? Are there best practices and/or comparative lenses?
- What are the opposing perspectives? And why?
- Who has been consulted? What is your stakeholder analysis telling you?
