ABSTRACT
Policy options have two branches: issues possessing several possible solutions and issues where only one alternative will be considered. Chapter 4 focuses on issues where only one alternative is considered to be viable. The goal for this chapter is to provide the reader with an analytical tool they can use to determine if one policy alternative is in the public interest. Chapter 4 explains how the criteria defining economic, social, and environmental components of sustainability are excellent tools for analyzing a single policy solution to determine if the alternative meets the public interest. This chapter explains how to select relevant criteria, and how to analyze the criteria using a sustainability matrix. Using sustainability analysis, it is also necessary to evaluate the administrative/governance capacity of the organization. Are necessary resources available, or can they be acquired, and is the organization completing the analysis the appropriate administrative body to implement the policy solution? Would a network be the most effective and efficient means to address the policy issue? Two actual policy issues are described and used to explain how the sustainability model can be developed through construction of an analytical matrix. Chapter 4 concludes with the reader selecting and analyzing a policy issue using a sustainability matrix, and an administrative/governing capacity worksheet.
