Introduction

What is an Issue ?

Various dictionaries define an issue as a point under dispute, an argument, a topic of discussion or controversy, or a debatable opinion. For our purposes we will focus more on the topic of discussion or controversy. Every issue has certain characteristics:

1) Issues have two or more sides - within any issue there are problems or opportunities, liabilities or assets, an optimistic or pessimistic outlook. - in reality, there are many viewponts surrounding an issue - therefore it is important to examine both (all) sides and to examine without being judgmental

2) Views are held individually - at best we can only generalize and say that there are often common viewpoints or people of similar thinking.

3) Issues do not stand alone rather they exist as part of the whole - every issue is linked to other issues so one must understand that an issue cannot be studied in isolation (even though it is more difficult to make the connections sometimes) (eg. the issue of food availability depends on many things such as population numbers, the technology used to grow food, the transportation facilities to distribute it, the political structure, the cultural traditions etc.)

4) For every action, there is a reaction - when attempting to solve a problem relating to an issue, often the plan of action results in other reactions (eg. the need for food in Brazil is great among the rural people which has forced some to clear forested areas to grow food - this has led to increased soil erosion since the tropical forest soils do not support agriclutural activity for long - the clearing of forest also changes the microclimate of the area and reduces the capability of the forest from absorbing CO2 - therefore the problem of global warming is enhanced - etc. etc.)

The essence of issue analysis involves:

1) identifying the various factors that affect people's views
2) distinguishing between fact and opinion
3) presenting possible plans for action

One method for analyzing an issue is the Inquiry Model. It helps to ensure that an investigation of an issue is thorough and logical. A description of the Inquiry Model is given on the next page.

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