ABSTRACT
A policy recommendation can be no better than the policy options under consideration. If an option is not “on the table” it cannot be recommended. This chapter discusses various ways to identify and develop potential policy alternatives. It first reviews how analysts can adopt policy options from the status quo and from other existing or previous approaches, including so-called best practices. The chapter then discusses several more inductive strategies for developing policy options. These include adaption of standard modes of government intervention (e.g., taxation, regulation, subsidy), brainstorming and related exercises, and application of principles from such fields as behavioral economics and design. The chapter concludes with the child support case study, focusing on several policy options to reduce child support debt.
