| Course | MMPA 6451 Public Policy Analysis |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion post |
| Length | About 560 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Discussion post, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Master of Public Administration (MPA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MMPA 6451 Week 1
Week 1 Discussion: Policy as Action and Inaction
Deferring the Feasibility Study Is a Choice: Corliss's Broadband Inaction Read Through Dye's Definition of Public Policy
Declining to act on broadband is a policy decision the city of Corliss owns, even though no one in city hall has ever voted against better internet service. Dye (2013) defines public policy as whatever governments choose to do or not to do, and its closing words, not to do, are what this post relies on. A government that repeatedly chooses not to act has made policy as surely as one that passes an ordinance.
Corliss is a composite midsize city. Two private carriers provide home internet. On the Federal Communications Commission's national broadband map, nearly every address in the city shows service available at high speeds. Yet in three east-side neighborhoods, residents at council meetings and in a library survey describe the same problem: service exists, but the monthly price for a usable connection is more than they can pay. A municipal broadband feasibility study was proposed four years ago. It has been deferred at every budget hearing since, each time with a statement that the city supports digital access and will revisit the study next year.
That pattern has consequences, and they fall on identifiable people. Households without home service do schoolwork, job applications and benefits renewals on phones or not at all. The library's two east-side branches absorb the demand: their public computers have waiting lists after school, and staff report people sitting in the parking lot after closing to use the wireless signal. The cost of inaction is real; it is simply carried by residents and the library rather than appearing in the city's budget.
One caveat matters. Some states limit or bar municipal broadband networks by statute, and a federal appeals court held in 2016 that the Federal Communications Commission could not override two states' limits (Tennessee v. Federal Communications Commission, 2016). If Corliss is in such a state, its range of choices is narrower. But even then, the city could fund subsidies, support a cooperative or expand library hotspot lending, so the choice not to do any of these remains a choice.
What is something your own city or agency has chosen not to do, and who bears the cost of that choice?
Reply to Teresa
Teresa, your example of a county that never adopted a short-term rental ordinance is a good one, and I agree it is a policy choice. I wonder whether the county's inaction was deliberate or simply crowded out by other items. Dye's definition counts both, but they call for different responses. If it was deliberate, someone could be asked to defend it. If it was neglect, putting it on an agenda might be enough.
Reply to Malik
Malik, you argued that inaction is only policy when a government has formally considered and rejected an option. I see the appeal of that narrower view, since it avoids counting everything a government ignores. But Corliss shows why it may be too narrow: the city never rejected the broadband study, it just kept deferring it. Under your definition, four years of deferral would not count as policy at all. Peters (2018) describes agenda setting as a key stage at which problems are kept off the table as well as put on it. Would deferral fit your definition if it happens every year?
References
Dye, T. R. (2013). Understanding public policy (14th ed.). Pearson.
Peters, B. G. (2018). American public policy: Promise and performance (11th ed.). CQ Press.
Tennessee v. Federal Communications Commission, 832 F.3d 597 (2016).
MMPA 6451 Week 1 instructions, in plain terms
The opening discussion in a public policy analysis course usually asks students to define public policy using the course text and apply the definition to a local example. Many prompts focus on inaction, asking whether a government's decision not to act counts as policy. Instructors expect a clear claim, a correctly attributed definition and a concrete example with identifiable consequences. Replies typically test classmates' examples against the definition. Posts usually run three hundred to five hundred words, with two shorter replies. Some prompts name a specific issue, such as housing or transit, while others let students choose. A few ask students to contrast Dye's definition with another, such as one that requires a deliberate decision.
How the MMPA 6451 Week 1 example is put together
A one-sentence claim opens the post, and Dye's definition follows immediately. A paragraph describes the composite city's broadband situation, including the difference between service availability on the national map and affordability on the ground. A paragraph names who bears the cost. A caveat paragraph notes that some states restrict municipal networks and cites a federal appeals decision, while pointing out choices the city could still make. The post closes with a question. Two replies test a classmate's example and a narrower definition of policy. The broadband example is composite, and the post says so, which keeps the claim honest while still giving readers concrete detail. Each reply ends with a question.
Where the marks sit in the MMPA 6451 Week 1 rubric
Graders look for a claim stated plainly at the start and a definition applied rather than recited. A concrete local example with named consequences earns more than a general discussion of inaction. Recognizing legal limits on what the government could do, while showing that choices remain, shows careful thinking. Replies earn credit for engaging the substance of a classmate's argument, such as whether deferral counts as a decision. Distinguishing availability from affordability, as the post does with the national broadband map, shows attention to evidence. A caveat about legal limits signals that the writer knows the argument's boundaries. Posting by the forum's midweek deadline also counts, since late posts leave classmates nothing to answer.
MMPA 6451 Week 1 help from the desk
Pick a problem in your community that local government has discussed but not acted on. Find out how long it has been on or off the agenda and who bears the cost of waiting. State your claim in your first sentence. Check whether state law limits what the government could do. Close by asking peers for a case from their own jurisdiction. For a custom sample post on a different policy area, send us your prompt. Keep the post brief enough to be read through, and make the consequence paragraph concrete: say who is left waiting, and where. In replies, quote the classmate's claim before testing it. Label any composite example as composite. If your city has a broadband plan, check whether its silence on a feasibility study is itself the decision.
Get a MMPA 6451 Week 1 example written to your instructions
Share the discussion instructions and rubric for Week 1, and say whether a policy area was assigned. The MMPA 6451 post drafted to them applies a definition of public policy to one concrete case, in 24 to 48 hours, a first request unbilled. The city, its council and its budget office are composites, and no carrier is named.
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MMPA 6451 Week 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MMPA 6451 Week 1 sample paper?
This page carries the broadband inaction post together with both replies.
How does Dye define public policy?
As whatever governments choose to do or not to do.
Why is inaction a policy choice here?
The city has deferred a feasibility study every year, which is a decision with consequences.
Who bears the cost of the city's inaction?
Households without affordable home service and the library branches absorbing their demand.
Can states limit municipal broadband?
Some do by statute, and a federal appeals court held that the FCC could not override two states' limits.