The Micro-Dimensions of Policy Design: A Key Challenge for Real-World
Policy Practice
Abstract
A key challenge to real-world policy making is determining how to
match policy goals with the means available to implement them. This
match is problematic for several reasons, not the least of which is the
lack of conceptual clarity surrounding how targets should be set
for policy goals and how exactly policy tools should be calibrated to
meet them. These subjects have been examined by a number of scholars,
but their insights have not been synthesized into a common
framework, applicable in practice. This paper examines this literature
and presents a framework which allows analysts and practitioners
to ensure that the designs they propose contain the necessary
elements to have a significant chance of attaining policy success. The
utility of the framework is illustrated through examination of two high
profile recent cases of policy development: the Affordable Care Act in
USA, and the regulation of car emissions in the EU.
