Policy Research Before the Vote: Curiously Refreshing
23 July 2008
Image via WikipediaElected officials have the collective ability to ram through public policies for whatever reason they may have. Maybe it appeases a particular voting block. Maybe it will be looked upon favorably by a lobbyist and his or her deep pocket employers. Maybe the legislator has been bribed to “produce results.” Maybe it looms large in the eyes of the legislator because it is in response to a neighbor’s experience or a family members tragedy.
As voters and members of Alaskan society, however, we may have other lenses through which we view these proposals for public policy. For example, does a public policy benefit low- and medium-income families in Alaska? Does it actually address the problem effectively and efficiently that it is supposed to address? Have other policy alternatives been systematically considered and evaluated? Will this public policy have unintended consequences? Is there any research data that will help our evaluation?
Palin’s recent proposal involves giving every Alaskan who has been here for at least six months $1,200, which might cost the state around three-quarters of a billion dollars. Why is this being done? The initial argument was as a rebate to help people with higher energy costs. A second justification is that it is the people’s money, and she is just giving it back. There are other justifications too, but these may be incompatible, or miss the mark. Why is the money being given to everyone , no matter how rich, if the initial impetus was to help out Alaskans who are in financial trouble with their family budgets? This approach is not accomplishing the stated goal in the most effective way it could. Now, on to the research.
Hurrah for the Institute for Economic and Social Research (ISER) which has just released Research Matters No. 36: How Would $1,200 Per Person State Payments Compare with Increased Household Costs for Energy? This is actual factual policy analysis before a policy is voted on. Curiously refreshing.
The Alaska Legislature is considering that proposal in the current special session. How would those proposed payments compare with increased energy costs for Alaska households? This new ISER analysis by Ben Saylor and Steve Colt finds that the answer depends on where you live, how you heat your house, how much energy you use, and how many people are in your household. It is just a few pages long, and is written in plain English with lots of graphs and charts for those of you who like the visuals. Take a look at it.