Policy problems rarely have perfect solutions, but some policies are better than
others. A primary task of the policy analyst is to identify those policies that have the
best prospects for improving social conditions, as measured in terms of specific goals
and criteria. To facilitate this task, we indicate the market failures, government failures, or equity concerns that each generic policy most appropriately addresses, as
well as the most common limitations and undesirable consequences associated with
the use of each. In other words, we provide a checklist for systematically searching
for candidate policies.