Managing Used Oil From Do-It-Yourself Oil Changers in Massachusetts: An Analysis of Evaluation and Learning in Policy Design

This thesis examines theories of analysis, evaluation, and learning in policy development and applies them to a case study of developing legislation in Massachusetts to manage used motor oil from people who change their own oil. Policy-oriented learning is facilitated by open consensus building processes that build understanding of policy problems and solutions through discourse and argument. When a group of stakeholders is involved in and responsible for making decisions that affect them and others, they will collectively make better decisions for all involved and will be more likely to support implementation of those decisions. Therefore, any parties involved in or affected by implementation should be a party to policy decisions. In order for proposed solutions to be effective, they must have a "fixer" to guide the solution through policy development and into implementation. This fixer can be a government official, a private party, or a group of entities such as an advisory board, but must have the political resources and authority to approve or gain approval for solutions arrived at through a consensus building process. This fixer should be closely involved in the consensus building process to develop the solution, either as a participant or by managing the process. A non-neutral party that manages a consensus building process will be more focused on the outcome then on the process, as opposed to a neutral mediator or facilitator who would focus specifically on the process. A non-neutral party should only manage a consensus building process if they are open about their lack of neutrality, understand how to conduct consensus building, are committed to the process, and can establish a sense of trust among the other stakeholders. If these conditions can not be met, then a neutral party should manage the process. Thesis Supervisor: Lawrence Susskind Professor of Urban Studies and Planning