Problem definition

Problem framing

The importance of thinking creatively

Types of data and sources

Conducting interviews

Evaluating data and information

Displaying information

Measures of significance

Data gathering

Bardach: 47 - 70

Patton & Sawicki: 74 - 185

Mintrom: 44 - 89

RES #3: Bardwell, Lisa V. 1991. Problem Framing: A Perspective on Environmental Problem-Solving. Environmental Management 15 (no. 5): 603 - 612.

RES #11: Dipak K. Gupta, 2001.  Analyzing Public Policy: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. pages 176 - 199.

Handout - Risks, Data, and Facts

Handout - Measures lead to problems (Mercury)

Handout - Problems in Education System

Handout - Problems related to driver safety

Handout - Ethanol and the problems it created

Report - NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts - 2005

Report - JAMA on Obesity and Death (2005) and an article about CDC linking risk of death to obesity

Handout - Junk Science and Health Care Reform (2009)

Handout - Repeating the Housing Collapse with Life Insurance?  (NY Times 9/09)

Download as an adobe acrobat file

Figures - Data analysis

UNCW's Randall Library

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA - Traffic Safety Facts 2005

NC Crash Data

Dery, David. 1984. Problem Definition in Policy Analysis. Lawrence, KA: University Press of Kansas.

Rochefort, David A. and Roger W. Cobb. 1994. The Politics of Problem Definition: Shaping the Policy Agenda. Lawrence, KA: University of Kansas Press. 

Cook, Thomas D. And Donald T. Campbell. 1979. Quasi-Experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln (eds.). 1998. Strategies for Qualitative Inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln (eds.). 1998.Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Patton, Michael Quinn. 1990. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Second Edition. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications.

Rossi, Peter H. and Howard E. Freeman. 1993. Evaluation: A Systematic Approach. Fifth Edition. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Singleton, Royce A., Bruce C. Straits, Margaret Miller Straits. 1993. Approaches to Social Research. Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications.

Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.