Public Policy Development and Analysis: Policy Cycle, Options and Regulatory Impact Assessment – London, 8–12 Feb 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Public policy development and analysis often falters because problems are framed loosely, evidence arrives late, alternatives are never compared on equal terms and implementation is planned after the decision. The result is regulation that misses its target, overlapping measures across ministries and evaluations that cannot say what worked. This Core Concept course equips government policy analysts to move a proposal through each stage of the policy cycle with structured problem definition, options appraisal and regulatory impact assessment. Participants leave with a Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier for a live policy issue.

Course Objectives:

• Define a public problem with a causal problem tree, a baseline and a clear statement of the rationale for government intervention
• Assemble and grade the evidence base behind a proposal and state its limitations to decision-makers
• Compare regulatory and non-regulatory policy options using cost-benefit and multi-criteria appraisal in line with OECD regulatory impact assessment practice
• Plan stakeholder consultation and implementation, including delivery trajectories, roles and risk controls for a new policy
• Design a monitoring and evaluation plan for a policy using the OECD evaluation criteria and check coherence with other government policies
• Produce a Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier that carries a proposal from problem statement to evaluation plan

Target Audience:

• Policy analysts and officers responsible for researching issues and preparing policy proposals
• Regulatory reform and regulatory quality staff responsible for impact assessment of draft rules
• Strategy and planning managers accountable for translating government priorities into policy options
• Delivery and implementation unit staff responsible for turning approved policies into operational plans
• Research, statistics and evaluation managers who supply evidence for policy decisions
• Legislative and legal drafting coordinators who work alongside policy teams on new measures

Course Outline:

Day 1: The Policy Cycle and Framing Public Problems

• Policy Cycle Model: Agenda Setting, Formulation, Decision, Implementation and Evaluation
• Kingdon Multiple Streams Framework: Problem, Policy and Politics Streams and Policy Windows
• Rational Planning Model Versus Incrementalism and Bounded Rationality
• Problem Tree Analysis and Rationale for Government Intervention Statements
• Current-State Mapping of Policy Development Practice Within the Participant's Entity

Day 2: Evidence and Appraisal Methods

• Evidence Hierarchy and Source Quality Grading for Policy Questions
• Baseline Indicators and Counterfactual Reasoning for Policy Proposals
• OECD Regulatory Impact Assessment: Assessing Whether and How to Regulate
• Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Instrument Selection: Rules, Incentives, Information and Self-Regulation
• Cost-Benefit Analysis and Multi-Criteria Analysis Scoring Matrices

Day 3: Options Analysis, Consultation and Decision Support

• Policy Options Long List to Short List Using Feasibility Screening Criteria
• Distributional Impact and Compliance Cost Estimation for Affected Groups
• Stakeholder Mapping With the Power-Interest Grid for Policy Consultation
• Consultation Plan Design: Methods, Timing and Feedback Reporting
• Options Comparison Table and Recommended Option Rationale

Day 4: Implementation, Delivery and Policy Coherence

• Implementation Planning: Delivery Chains, Trajectories and Milestone Plans
• Delivery Unit Routines: Stocktakes, Performance Dialogues and Escalation
• Policy Implementation Risk Register and Unintended Consequences Review
• Policy Coherence Screening Across Ministries and Levels of Government
• Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Using the OECD Evaluation Criteria

Day 5: Case Work and the Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier

• Urban Transport Congestion Case Study: Problem Definition and Instrument Choice
• Small Business Licensing Reform Case Study: Regulatory Impact Assessment Review
• Public Health Prevention Case Study: Implementation and Evaluation Design
• Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier Drafting for a Live Policy Issue
• Peer Challenge Panel and Dossier Defence Against an Appraisal Checklist

Skills You Will Gain:

• Policy Problem Structuring
• Evidence Base Assessment
• Regulatory Impact Assessment
• Policy Instrument Selection
• Stakeholder Consultation Planning
• Implementation Planning
• Policy Evaluation Design
• Policy Coherence Analysis

Why Attend This Course:

• Return with a Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier for a live policy issue in your own entity
• Stop sending proposals forward with a single option by comparing alternatives on the same evidence and criteria
• Show decision-makers how a policy will be delivered, measured and adjusted before it is approved
• Test your approach on transport, business licensing and public health cases with analysts from other governments and sectors

Conclusion:

A policy is only as sound as the analysis that shaped it and the plan that carries it into practice. This course moves from framing problems within the policy cycle, through evidence, appraisal and regulatory impact assessment, to consultation, implementation, coherence checks and evaluation design. The final day applies these methods to cases from several sectors and produces a Policy Development and Appraisal Dossier that participants can use with their own policy teams.