- Introduction to the training and of the participants, understanding the expectations of the participants, establishing the rules of the game, the working hours and the etiquette in the classroom
- Defining public policy, what is policy, what is public policy, what ‘should’ public policy do, who makes public policies, key stakeholders, steps in policy making (linear- logical model, cycle), objectives for the analysts in the policy cycle, how public officials make and should make policies, what is the legal framework for their policy making.
- Methods and specific techniques for creating policies- analysis, identification of the policy problem, selecting an appropriate research method (research design), research, analysis of the problem, evaluation of the basic preconditions for implementing policies, practical tips in policy analysis.
- Defining policy options- what is the aim of preparing different policy options, who defines various policy options, project plan, how to define policy options, what should each option contain, analysis of future trends, the “zero” option, practical tips, consultations.
- Regulatory impact assessment (RIA)- general background of RIA, history of RIA, why RIA, how much time and resources to conduct RIA, legal background for conducting RIA, what should each RIA focus on, assessment of the benefits, assessment of the costs, costs for the government, citizens or private sector, the question of the non-anticipated costs, long vs. short term impact, the importance of assessing the impact on the environment, who gains and who loses, concentrated vs. wide spread impact.
- How to evaluate and improve the policy options- the legal background for such action, interests of stakeholders converging, implications on the budget, consultations between ministries, consultations with the civil sector, consultations with policy experts and think tanks, who are the stakeholders in the policy making process, what is the role of the General Secretariat of the government in this phase.
- How to fill in the memorandum of the government- what is a memorandum, when should it be prepared, when you should not prepare it, how to fill in different parts of the memorandum.
- Choosing the best option-what are the necessary preconditions that each option should fulfill to be evaluated, methods how to choose the best option, using the matrix to choose the best option, specific criteria to choose the best option in Macedonia
- What is monitoring of the implementation of the programs/strategies/ projects/ policies/laws/etc, focus on the process, good to check the status and the mistakes in the implementation early on, data gathering, who is responsible for the monitoring.
- About evaluation of programs implemented, definition, who is to perform the evaluation, on the pluses and minuses of having an external evaluator, comparison between monitoring and evaluation, the aim of evaluations, methods used, examples discussed.
- Presenting the best option- what is the legal background for the need to present the best option , how to present the best policy option (legal means to do so), practical tips.