Trace a recent policy through each of the four steps of the policy-making process. Which hurdle seemed to be most difficult to overcome for this policy to actually take effect? [Note: Depending on the level of the students, the professor may wish to provide a list of possible policies to choose from.

What will be an ideal response?

Students should trace the development of the policy from agenda-setting, to policy formulation (i.e., hearings, pilots, debates over solutions), to adoption (i.e., was it a party-line vote? Was it easy to get the policy through Congress and the president or more challenging?), to implementation (i.e., what agency is responsible for the policy? Has implementation gone smoothly?). They should make a clear argument about which stage was the most difficult for this particular policy to make it through.