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Knowledge infrastructure for governments that want to fix themselves. Built by Cory Weinstein.

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  • Policy Analyzer

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  1. Tools
  2. /Policy Analyzer

Policy Analyzer

Score policies against a self-correction framework.

The problem it solves

Most policy evaluation asks: 'Is this policy good?' That's the wrong question. The right question is: 'When this policy fails — and all policies eventually fail in some way — will we be able to detect the failure and correct course?' Policies without self-correction mechanisms become entrenched even when they stop working.

What it does

  • 01

    Evaluates self-correction capacity — does the policy include feedback mechanisms? Sunset clauses? Measurable outcomes? Escalation paths when metrics go wrong?

  • 02

    Scores against a framework — not subjective opinion. A structured evaluation against specific criteria for resilience, adaptability, and accountability.

  • 03

    Identifies leverage points — where small changes to a policy would have the largest effect on outcomes. Not everything is equally important — the system shows where to focus.

  • 04

    Compares across policies — benchmark a proposed policy against existing ones. See how similar approaches have performed in other jurisdictions.

How it works

1

Register a policy for analysis

Name, jurisdiction, domain, and summary. Works with any policy — federal regulation, state law, agency directive, or internal procedure.

2

Score against 6 self-correction criteria

Each criterion (feedback mechanisms, sunset clauses, measurable outcomes, review triggers, adaptation pathways, stakeholder input) is scored 0-100. The weighted average produces a resilience score.

3

Identify gaps and leverage points

The system highlights which criteria are weakest and recommends where small changes would have the biggest impact — based on systems thinking research.

4

Compare across jurisdictions

How does your state's energy policy score vs. California's? Side-by-side comparison shows strengths and weaknesses relative to peers.

Sample output

This is what Policy Analyzer actually produces. Real format, sample data.

pa_score --policy 'Clean Energy Standard 2025' --format detail
Policy: Clean Energy Standard 2025
Jurisdiction: Colorado | Domain: Energy/Environment
Self-Correction Score: 82/100 (STRONG)

Criteria Breakdown:
  Feedback mechanisms ........... 90/100  (weight: 25%)
    ✓ Annual emissions reporting to PUC
    ✓ Utility compliance dashboards (public)
    ✓ Independent verification by state auditor

  Measurable outcomes ........... 95/100  (weight: 20%)
    ✓ 80% renewable by 2030 (quantified)
    ✓ Rate impact cap: <2% annual increase
    ✓ Job transition metrics tracked quarterly

  Review triggers ............... 85/100  (weight: 20%)
    ✓ Auto-review if rates exceed cap
    ✓ Auto-review if grid reliability drops below 99.9%
    ~ No trigger for technology cost changes

  Sunset / renewal .............. 70/100  (weight: 15%)
    ✓ 5-year legislative review required
    ~ No automatic sunset — requires active renewal vote

  Adaptation pathways ........... 75/100  (weight: 10%)
    ✓ PUC can adjust timeline by ±2 years
    ~ No pathway for adding new energy sources mid-cycle

  Stakeholder input ............. 80/100  (weight: 10%)
    ✓ Public comment period (90 days)
    ✓ Tribal consultation requirement
    ~ Industry input limited to formal proceedings

Leverage points (highest impact changes):
  1. Add technology cost trigger → +6 points
  2. Add mid-cycle energy source pathway → +4 points
  3. Add automatic sunset clause → +3 points

Comparison: CO scores 82 vs national median 54

Who it's for

Legislative research offices, regulatory agencies, policy think tanks, state innovation labs — anyone designing, evaluating, or reforming policy who wants to build in the ability to course-correct.

What this tool doesn't do

  • —Scores reflect self-correction capacity, not policy quality — a well-designed bad policy can score high
  • —Requires human judgment to score each criterion — the tool structures the analysis, not replaces it
  • —Comparison is only meaningful within the same policy domain — don't compare energy policy to immigration
  • —Cannot predict policy outcomes — it measures whether the policy can detect and correct its own failures

How to get started

1

Free demo

90 minutes. Your real data. I show you what Policy Analyzerfinds that you didn't know you were missing.

2

Bounded trial

4-6 weeks on one specific problem. Fixed scope, fixed fee. You see results before you commit to anything larger.

3

Annual license

Deploy on your infrastructure. Your data stays yours. Cancel anytime — I earn renewal through value, not lock-in.

Works well with

Structured Reasoning→Cross-Domain Connector→After-Action Review→

See Policy Analyzer in action

Bring a real problem. I'll analyze it live — and tell you honestly whether this tool solves it.

Request a Demo