Consider Bardach’s and Kraft & Furlong’s discussion of problem definition and agenda setting (attached). Now consider three different problem definitions for a policy topic of accidental childhood drownings:
(1) Too many children die in accidental drownings in the U.S.;
(2) A disproportionate number of minority children suffer from accidental childhood drownings in the U.S.;
(3) Too many people (adults and children) in the U.S. die from accidental drownings.
Now construct three alternate problem definitions for YOUR policy problem (attached). The policy topic is HIV Rates in Black Men—not for accidental drownings). List those three potential definitions. Which one would you pick as the primary problem definition, and why? What are the implications of choosing that one, versus the alternate definition (e.g., how does it change the stakeholders, the politics, and the potential set of policy solutions?).
