Public policies often alter the costs and benefits of private actions. Why is it important for policymakers to consider both the direct and indirect effects of public policies? Select a particular public policy with which you are familiar and discuss two positive and two negative aspects of that policy. What goal do you think the policy makers were trying to achieve in effecting that policy? Do you believe it was successful? Why or why not?
Policy makers must consider both the direct and indirect effects that polices have across the nation. Considering the direct effect will allows the policy makers to see the obvious change it has while the indirect effect allows them to see the overall behavior effect that is has. I am not too familiar with public policy but have been effected my one, abortion. Abortion has been and is a very controversial policy that ultimately is legal according the US policy but may be restricted by states to a point. The positive effects that abortion has is that it allows a woman to decide is she is ready to raise a child physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. I also think that with the choice it allows for women to feel in control of their body and not allowing others to choose for them. On the negative side of abortion some women seem to use this method as a form of birth control thus possibly ruining their reproductive abilities permanently. On the negative side of abortion there are a lot of people who do not believe in it and this can cause women who choose this option to be looked and treated differently in their communities.