What does the monitoring stage in the Policy Model entail?

The monitoring stage in the Policy Model primarily involves the assessment of policy outcomes. This stage is crucial as it focuses on systematically gathering information to determine whether the implemented policies are achieving their intended goals and outcomes. By assessing policy outcomes, stakeholders can understand how effective the policies are in addressing the issues they were designed to solve. This process often includes collecting data and feedback, which can inform future adjustments or revisions to ensure that policies remain relevant and effective.

In the context of the other options, implementation of new policies pertains to the deployment and execution phase rather than the monitoring phase. Collection of baseline data is essential during the initial stages of policy development or prior to implementation, serving as a reference point for future comparisons but not directly part of monitoring. Evaluation of existing practices serves a different function by reviewing practices in place, which might happen concurrently with monitoring but is not specifically about assessing the outcomes of newly established policies. The primary focus of monitoring is to track and assess the outcomes of policies post-implementation.