Analysis &
Critical Thinking
The third of NASPAA's core competencies, this requirement encompasses the ability to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment.
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I chose a memo I wrote for Public Policy Process and a group paper I contributed to for Economics for Public Administration. Both the memo and the group paper required critical thinking and analysis to be put together: the memo evaluated policy changes related to education, and the paper measured the possible costs of an FDA policy.
Addressing New Jersey's Disappointing Literacy Rates
Public Policy Process (Spring 2024)
This memo outlines potential causes for New Jersey's plummeting literacy rates, which match general education shortfalls across the country. One major reason for the lowered literacy rate is the loss of phonics-based instruction, which has been scientifically proven to help children create connections between sounds and written words. The country's legacy of racism and subsequent segregation also plays a role. This memo compares three potential policy solutions, including mandating phonics instruction state-wide, using a policy matrix, weighing the potential benefits of each solution to their possible cost. The matrix also labels each solution as to how much political, economic, and civil interest there is in pursuing that option.
Impact Policy Review: Color Additive Certification
Economics for Public Administration (Fall 2023)
This group paper and presentation analyzes a potential policy change that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first proposed in 2022. This new rule would amend food dye additive regulations to increase certification fees. Three additional classmates and I discussed the merits of this new regulation, the potential impacts on manufacturers of food dyes, and possible unintentional additional costs to consumers. Although the overall impact of this FDA proposal was proven to be negligible, this process illustrates how many steps are necessary to approve any change in regulation. While this was a group project, I worked most on the Background, Justification for the Proposed Intervention, the Proposed Intervention, and Alternate Solutions sections.