Weighing a Policy: Problem, Options, and Cost

Civics & Economics · Citizenship in Action · ages 11-14

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which sentence is the most precise public problem statement?
- Buses are bad
- Buses on Route 4 are 15 minutes late every morning
- People don't like the buses
A city council says, 'People are frustrated about downtown.' Is this a precise public problem statement?
- Yes, it names exactly what is wrong and when
- No, it does not say what exactly is happening or when
- No, because frustration is never a real problem
A policy can create a side effect that its own supporters did not intend.
Circle one: True False
Look at the yearly costs. How many thousand dollars less does the bus lane cost than the car ban?
Answer: ______________
Cars back up outside a school every morning. The city compares a bus lane (cheaper, slows some drivers) with a full car ban (pricier, blocks every driver on that street). Who does the car ban burden the most?
- Bus riders on other routes
- Every driver who uses that street, including parents picking up other kids
- Students who walk to school
A city bans plastic shopping bags to cut down on litter. What side effect might this cause?
- Stores switch to paper bags, so paper waste goes up
- Litter disappears everywhere in the city
- Grocery prices drop right away
A town wants to fix 'too many car accidents near the park at 3pm.' Which next step best follows the compare-alternatives approach?
- Ban all cars in town forever
- Build a fence right away and hope it works
- List options like a crossing guard or a speed bump, and weigh who each helps, who pays, and what could go wrong
Amir hears 'Let's ban skateboards downtown' and immediately says, 'no way, that's a bad idea,' without asking what problem the ban is meant to fix. What step did Amir skip?
- Restating the problem the ban is supposed to solve
- Counting how many skateboards are in town
- Nothing, ban proposals never solve real problems

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Weighing a Policy: Problem, Options, and Cost W1-mt_5vYuvjkprY-s1

Buses on Route 4 are 15 minutes late every morning · This sentence says exactly what is happening (late buses), where (Route 4), and when (every morning).
No, it does not say what exactly is happening or when · A precise problem names what is happening, where, and when, like 'too much traffic near school at 8:30.' 'People are frustrated' does not say any of that.
True · Almost every rule changes people's behavior in ways beyond the original goal, so unintended side effects are common.
3 · The bus lane costs $2,000 a year and the car ban costs $5,000, so the difference is $3,000.
Every driver who uses that street, including parents picking up other kids · The car ban stops all car traffic on that street, so every driver there, not just the ones causing the 8:30 backup, pays the cost.
Stores switch to paper bags, so paper waste goes up · Banning one kind of bag does not remove the need for bags, so stores often switch to another material, trading one waste problem for another.
List options like a crossing guard or a speed bump, and weigh who each helps, who pays, and what could go wrong · Comparing real alternatives by benefits, costs, and side effects is the step between naming the problem and picking a policy.
Restating the problem the ban is supposed to solve · Before judging a policy, you need to know the problem it targets. Amir reacted to the solution without ever restating the problem.