A way to think about how to prioritize issues -- whether they are important, timely, solvable, etc., -- and should be included in a policy agenda or candidate questionnaire at a particular time.

1. The Most Important Issue
prioritizing issues for a policy agenda
(or candidate questionnaire)

2. Look at each policy or issue through this lens.
Ask: Is the policy primed to create public value?
Value for the public
Public is created when a
policy proposal
Support meets all 3 criteria
Operational Net Social
Feasibility Impact

3. Everything that follows are questions/approaches to
help us assess whether an issue falls in the “sweet
spot” of the previous slide.

4. Does the issue or policy affirm communal values?
What are important shared values for this community?
opportunity
aloha family compassion
sustainability
self-reliance kuleana
stewardship work equality
independence
fairness justice
Does this policy proposal express and enhance important values,
or conflict with and diminish them?

6. Do constituents understand and care about the issue?
The Pledge: You will never, under any By many accounts, Hawaii has a 10-day supply
circumstances, vote to raise taxes on anyone. of food in the event of crisis. I support
developing a program that leases land (whether
"People say, 'Oh, Grover Norquist has power.' it be state, county, or private land) at
No. Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax substantially reduced rates for farmers that
Reform focus on the tax issue. The tax issue is pledge to grow and sell food locally, and
a powerful issue. encourages schools to purchase locally-grown
- Grover Norquist food.

7. Is there a policy proposal that produces net benefit?
Social impact is often difficult or impossible to measure.
Here are some commonly used frameworks …
• greatest good for greatest number
• most urgent or acute needs
• economic cost-benefit analysis

8. Example: State Funded Pre-K Education
“Economically speaking, early childhood programs are a good investment, with inflation-
adjusted annual rates of return on the funds dedicated to these programs estimated to
reach 10 percent or higher. Very few alternative investments can promise that kind of
return.”
- Ben Bernanke, July 2012

9. Does the policy proposal have negative and
unintended impacts?
• Who are the losers and what do they lose?
• What are the “opportunity costs”?
• What are the possible unintended consequences?
• Can either of the above be mitigated?

10. Is the issue a place where government typically
works well or where it tends to screw things up?
Tends to not work well…
• “legislating values”
• “job creation policies”
Tends to work pretty well…
• investment in physical infrastructure
• investment in human resources
• rules to protect against “market failures”