House, Verne W.

English

Research Papers in Economics

ISSUES,  ALTERNATIVES  AND  CONSEQUENCES
Verne W.  House
Clemson University
Milestones  in Public Policy  Education
More than  sixty years  have  passed  since  Purdue  professors  Car-
roll Bottum and Heavy Kohlmeyer invented what is known as the
alternatives-consequences  approach  to  public policy  education.  Ne-
cessity was truly the mother  of this  invention.  I  see the history  of
public policy education  marked by five  milestones  with theirs  being
the first.
Milestone  2  occurred in  1949-1950  when M.  L.  Wilson,  then direc-
tor of federal extension  work  and Frank Peck,  director  of Farm
Foundation,  convened  policy  educators  at  the first National  Public
Policy  Education  Conference.  Wilson  set the  philosophical  tone,
quoting from a Land-Grant  College Association  report:  "It is not the
function  of this  Committee  ...  to  determine  what agricultural  pol-
icies  shall be  adopted.  That  is  the responsibility  of the Nation's  cit-
izens"  (Wilson,  p.  9).
Milestone  3 came  along in 1973  when Charles Gratto taught us his
Issue  Evolution-Educational  Intervention  Model.  It gave  us  a visual
way to both differentiate and relate politics and education.
Milestone  4 began in 1975 when public policy education was taught
to county  agents and  specialists in home  economics  and community
development,  making it obvious that the methodology  applies across
disciplines  and program areas.
Milestone  5-the decade  of the 80s-was when literature emerged
to document  the  processes  used to  educate  about public policy
(House and Young, Infanger).
Will today  be  another  milestone?  Perhaps  not,  but I  predict  that
the  1990s  will be the time  of adapting  our methods to modern com-
munications  and  politics.  Now that the methodology  is  in print and
the extension  system is urging us to  employ  it,  strengths and  limita-
tions are being discussed.  Some people do not want to use  it and
that, I suppose,  is how Dr. Hite and I came to be on your agenda this
morning. There are many reasons for this aversion,  some of them
captured in the paired articles  by Cunningham and me in Adult Edu-
26cation (Cunningham,  House  1990b).  Some suspect  anything this  old
must be outdated.  For some people,  education  is just too slow com-
pared to politics.  Others tell me that the focus is too narrow.  But the
most damning is that objectivity is actually a "cop-out,"  an avoidance
of social responsibility.
I have  been a good listener;  now  it is my time to  speak.  I  predict
that by 1995, policy educators  will have learned new skills in commu-
nications  and  mediation  and  we will  have re-examined  the costs  of
advocacy  and embraced  objectivity.  Policy education may be  a part
of "public issues education"-or it may not. Regardless,  the alter-
natives-consequences  approach will remain the essence of educating
about  controversial  issues.  If it does  not,  the extension  system  will
simply be an information branch  of the U.S.  Department  of Agri-
culture and our educational function will have been truncated.
Those are  my milestones  and my predictions.  My paper covers
just three topics.  First, so that we all understand the alternatives-
consequences  approach,  I will review  it briefly.  Second,  I will com-
pare and contrast the social  functions of science,  education and pol-
itics and various  policy  roles played by academics.  Third, I  will ex-
plain why, when we are dealing with controversial issues, objectivity
is essential, not just objectivity in science but also in education.
The Alternatives-Consequences  Approach
The alternatives-consequences  approach is simple:
1.  Define the issue as a problem. Issues divide us, but problems
are  something  we  can solve.  Language  matters.  For example,
people are divided pro and con by simply hearing the words
abortion  or family  planning. But,  except for a few backwaters,
"preventing  teen pregnancy" can be used to engage  the public
in solving what is perceived  to be a common  problem. Defining
the problem  also requires  doing  some research  to understand
its motive and extent.
2.  List the alternative  solutions. Include the status quo.
3.  State the consequences of each alternative. Communicate  re-
search results.
4.  Educate. Create interaction.
5.  Fade. Move into the shadows. Go work on something else.
It is that simple.  Yet, the alternatives-consequences  approach em-
powers  us to proceed with education when the context is dominated
by controversy.  Think about it.  People who are angry listen. We can
defuse emotion.  We can depersonalize  the conflict.  We can apply re-
search  to real  problems.  Each  interest  group wants  us to  publicize
their solution,  but if we are fair to all propositions (including the sta-
tus quo)  they will  let us redistribute  power in the  form  of under-
27standing.  We  help  them  confront  the  issue  with problem-solving
processes.  We  give  them the  best information  we  have.  We  help
them  discuss  it rationally  with their  neighbors.  We  are empowered
by their willingness to learn.
The  alternatives-consequences  approach  is  also  demanding.  It
presumes we want to be teachers and are not afraid to work directly
with the people.  That is  quite different  from,  for example,  penning
pithy policy prescriptions from the safety of one's office or using tele-
vision to project one's views while enjoying the insulation of one-way
communication.  Yes, the alternatives-consequences  approach lets us
work  directly  with the people,  but we  have to  follow  the  rules.  We
have to  distinguish  among education,  science  and politics and relate
these to policy roles we academics play.
Education  $: Science  $ Politics
Social  Functions of Education, Science  and Politics
That education,  science  and politics have different  social functions
is no revelation,  but it is worth  taking a few moments to consider
how these differences  affect what we can do with public policy. Edu-
cation  is human development.  Science  (research) is information de-
velopment.  Politics is policy development.  In the  heat of public pol-
icy education,  they  are alloyed so they may appear  as one. But they
differ in purpose and methods so we need to compare them.
Education requires the  interaction  of four elements:  learners,
leaders, content and context (Liles, et al.,  pp. 7-12).  Learners  are
our students; in extension they come voluntarily.  Leaders are teach-
ers,  or specialists  and  agents.  Content  is  the  information,  concepts
and values  taught. Context refers to the learning environment-a
classroom,  a field,  wherever education  takes place.  Each  element is
essential  but interaction  is the key word.  Interaction is necessary for
human development-no  interaction,  no education (House,  1990a,
pp.  1-3).
The context  for all extension education  is  informal.  But, when  the
subject is  a public policy issue, the context is also political and there-
fore  controversial.  Public  policy  education  is merely  education  that
is specialized  to educate  in a context that is political.  It gives us  a
chance to deal with controversy without being controversial.
Science  tries to  replace  myth  with fact.  Science  develops  knowl-
edge  by  employing  logic,  reasoning,  observation,  and  experimenta-
tion to test hypotheses  and develop theories.  Objectivity,  essential to
science,  relies on the scientific  method  to provide a consistent logic.
Research-based  information  provides  most  of the  content  for  ex-
tension education,  but  it  is important  to  recognize  that education  is
not an application  of, or  even an extension  of, the scientific method.
Science  and education  are two different  functions  relying on differ-
28ent methods.  Scientists  often ignore this  fact by presenting informa-
tion about only one alternative.
The function of politics  is to shape  policy.  At its best,  it is commu-
nication to  develop agreement.  At its worst,  it is a  commendable
alternative  to war and insurrection.  Politics has a bad image even
though it is called the art of compromise.  It includes negotiation and
compromise  among private  parties  but  we usually associate  politics
with the shaping and implementation of public policy.
If there is one thing in this world  that is predictable,  it is that peo-
ple who are doing  politics will call it education.  They are just trying
to put a pretty  mask  on persuasion  or propaganda.  Extension  edu-
cators are not immune to  this behavior;  in  fact, much of it is  in-
tentional. When we preach instead of teach, we are engaging in pol-
itics.
What  is  the purpose  of public  policy  education?  Larry Libby  ex-
pressed  it accurately  at this conference  last year:  "Our goal is to fa-
cilitate orderly change,  minimize conflict,  and generally inform peo-
ple.  It is not our goal to  preserve  farmland,  preserve  farmers,
preserve  wetlands,  increase  the supply of cheap  housing or expand
the tax base.  We may vote  on these issues at some point, but con-
tinued credibility  as analysts and educators requires  that we merely
catalyze  a decision process"  (Libby, pp.  107-8).
Policy Roles  Played by Academics
Do all academics want to be public  policy educators?  Obviously
not.  Those who  choose  to be involved  with public policy serve  soci-
ety in very different ways.
Most  academics  who  deal  with policy  are policy analysts: the in-
formation they supply helps justify the existence of both research
and extension faculty.  Many policy analysts are also policy advisors:
they inform policymakers  directly  and privately as to the findings
from policy analysis.  Some are policy activists: representative  gov-
ernment depends  on the participation  of active citizens,  including
educators. A few are also policymakers: they are in policy leadership
roles because  they can  bring resources  to bear on a  common prob-
lem.  Finally, there  are public policy educators: they try to increase
public understanding  of public policies and problems.
What lessons can we learn from recognizing these  roles? There
are at least three:
1.  Know your role's objectives  (and limitations)  and use appropri-
ate  methods  skillfully.  I have heard  Clemson  President  Max
Lennon encourage  educators to  insure their programs  include
academic  content so they will continue  to be essential.  Like-
wise,  policy analysts  who provide  lots  of content  often  fail to
29create  the interaction  necessary  to learning.  Policy advisors
who  think  their role  is temporary  and safe  often  find them-
selves  politicized.  Likewise,  policy  activists  will  make  political
friends-and  enemies.  Policy  educators have  to be  able to use
research, be effective teachers and work in a political  context.
2.  Recognize  the risks of role switching.  You cannot expect  some-
one you opposed on  a political issue to believe  you only have
their best  interests  at heart when  you try  to be her teacher
(Felts-Grabarski).
3.  Recognize  each  role's contribution  to our  system  of govern-
ment, especially the role of policy educator.
Objectivity is Essential
Public policy education is a "constrained  opportunity."  The philos-
ophy  of the alternatives-consequences  approach  limits the educator
by  encouraging  a  rational,  problem-solving  approach;  requiring
equal recognition of alternatives  and the people  involved;  and letting
the people  decide without the  wisdom of your judgment.  There  is  a
presumption  herein that your values are neither inferior nor superi-
or  to  others'  values.  One  can  only conclude  that objectivity  is not  a
choice,  that it is  essential to success.  Without objectivity,  the only
sources  of credibility  are our titles,  our university's  reputation,  our
director's image  of us,  our good looks,  and our charisma.  I have had
to rely on objectivity.
Is objectivity  possible?  Of course it  is possible,  if you are willing to
view it as a goal to reach for rather than an absolute condition. Aca-
demics love to debate  the limits  of science,  that logical  positivism  is
passe,  and that research  priorities  are  distorted  by the dominant
culture,  funding  sources  and politics.  I  do not argue  that  science  is
perfect, just that science  is useful  if  it  is objectively  done.  Scientists
rely on the scientific method.  They gain credibility from it. They gain
confidence  in their findings  when  they know they  have been objec-
tive in their pursuit  of the truth.
Extension educators rely on the researchers to be objective so that
our research-based  information  is credible.  However,  public  policy
educators  also must have  "objectivity  in education."  Just as re-
searchers rely on the scientific method, public policy educators rely
on the alternatives-consequences  approach. We  gain credibility  from
it. Citizens'  confidence  in us depends directly  on their perception
that we have been objective in education.
Objectivity  in science is not the same as objectivity in public policy
education.  Objectivity  is essential  to both but one does not substitute
for the other. Just as  it is difficult  to achieve  objectivity in science  it
is difficult to achieve objectivity in education.
30Conclusions
* The alternatives-consequences  approach  to public policy  educa-
tion lets us deal with controversy without being controversial.
* Be honest about your role.  If you want  to do politics,  don't call it
public policy education.
* You cannot be credible if you are not objective,  both in research
and  education.
* Leadership  development,  issue  programming,  mediation,  com-
munications,  rural economic development and public policy edu-
cation  compliment one  another, but they do not replace the need
for the alternatives-consequences  approach.
* Objectivity  in education empowers  us to increase people's under-
standing of public problems and policies.
REFERENCES
Cunningham,  Phyllis. "Own  Your Advocacy."  Adult Educ., p.  14ff, no.  3,  1990.
Felts-Grabarski,  Edie.  "Alternatives  and Consequences."  Education for Public Decisions, V.W.  House  and A.A.
Young, eds.  Video, Module  6,  Working with Our  Publics. Raleigh NC: North Carolina  State University,  1988.
House,  Verne W.  "Education  for Public Decisions:  Teaching Tips." WP  090390. Clemson  SC: Clemson  University,
Sep.  1990a.
. "Let the People Choose."  Adult Educ., p.  14ff, no.  3,  1990.
House, Verne  W.,  and Ardis  A. Young.  Education  for Public Decisions. Module  6,  Working with Our Publics, five
parts plus video. Raleigh NC: North  Carolina State  University,  1988.
Infanger,  Craig.  "Annotated  Bibliography."  Education for Public Decisions: Sourcebook,  pp.  46-49.  Module  6,
Working with Our  Publics. Raleigh NC: North  Carolina State  University,  1988.
Libby, Larry.  "Extension Programming  on Policy  for Environment  and Economic  Development."  Increasing Un-
derstanding  of Public Problems and Policies-1991,  ed. W.  Armbruster  and T. Grace,  pp. 107-111.  Oak  Brook IL:
Farm Foundation,  1992.
Liles, Richard T.,  R. David Mustain,  and John M.  Pettit. The Extension Education Process: Sourcebook. Module 2,
Working with Our Publics. Raleigh NC: North  Carolina State University,  1988.
Wilson,  M.  L. "Need  for Educational  Work  on Public Policy  Problems. Educational Work on Public Policy Prob-
lems and Their Relationship to Agriculture, pp. 8-10. Washington  DC:  USDA Extension Service,  July,  1949.
31

Annotated Bibliography.&quot; Education for Public Decisions: Sourcebook,

Education for Public Decisions: Teaching Tips.&quot; WP 090390. Clemson SC:

Education for Public Decisions. Module 6, Working with Our Publics, five parts plus video. Raleigh NC:

Extension Programming on Policy for Environment and Economic Development.&quot; Increasing Understanding

Let the People Choose.&quot; Adult Educ.,

Need for Educational Work on Public Policy Problems.

Own Your Advocacy.&quot; Adult Educ.,

The Extension Education Process: Sourcebook. Module 2, Working with Our Publics. Raleigh NC:

ISSUES, ALTERNATIVES AND CONSEQUENCES

ISSUES, ALTERNATIVES AND CONSEQUENCES

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