Analytic Essay

Respond to the following in an essay of at least 1250 (5 pages double-spaced) essay, written for an intelligent audience but one that is relatively uninformed about public administration.

The readings so far this quarter suggest that organizations differ significantly in how they set goals, make decisions, and design the process it will use to carry out its decisions.

1. i) Considering the garbage can model, describe the factors that may affect an organizations decision-making process. Be sure to comment on the characteristics of goals or objectives that are actionable (i.e. SMART goals)
2. ii) Describe the elements of a logic model. Explain how an organization might use logic models to achieve its goals.

Grading and Expectations

We will evaluate your essay based on three criteria:

1) Depth: critical thought and analysis

— Effectiveness at explaining (answering why and how questions), rather than simply

describing, the problem and solution.

— Effectiveness at supporting ones explanation with evidence from the course readings,

lectures, discussions and other activities.

2) Accuracy and completeness

— Responding to all parts of the question

— Accuracy of the essay (in drawing on data or explaining the arguments from the readings)

3) Organization and clarity

— Logical organization

— Explain key terms as they are used

— Use transitions and headers to guide the reader through the paper

— Paragraphs well-constructed (e.g. have clear topic sentences)

— Proper citation of sources