The text notes several factors that inhibit adequate measurement of government performance and programs. Time is of particular concern to adequate measurement. Identify the “two sides” of the time problem and the significant political difficulties that result from the time problem, and discuss how each inhibits adequate measurement of government performance and programs.

What will be an ideal response?

The “two sides” of the policy problem are (1) the time span over which the benefits of many programs are created and (2) that the effects of a program should be durable over time. The significant political difficulties that result from the time problem are that the individuals responsible for making policy are often short on time and must produce results quickly if the programs for which they advocate are to be successful. This speaks directly to the 2-year “profitability” of programs sought by members of the House of Representatives, given that they have only 2 years between elections. The significant political difficulty here is that the policy process tends to favor short-term gains, even if they are not durable, over long-term successes. The permanent bureaucracy can afford to advocate a long-term approach that members of Congress cannot. The time span over which the benefits of programs are created inhibits adequate measurement because often, as in the case of education, the ultimate goals of a program can only be realized in the future and/or consist of elusive qualities (which prove difficult to measure when evaluation must be done quickly). The durability of a program poses measurement difficulties because some programs may produce effects only after they have been in existence for years. The Head Start program is an example of this measurement difficulty.