1. The claimSource it
What was actually promised?
Capture the exact words, date, candidate, jurisdiction, and original source—not a headline about it.
Policy intelligence for everyday life
Understand what a policy change
could mean for your household.
Polskan turns government actions into clear, sourced answers: what changed, who may be affected, what is known, and what is still uncertain.
Not political news. Not a voting guide. A practical way to follow the government decisions that could affect your money, home, work and life.
Try “campaign promises”, “taxes”, or “housing”
Nonpartisan by designSources visibleFacts separated from forecasts
The Polskan test
A promise is the beginning—not the answer.
2. The testTrace it
What would have to change?
Map the current law, required authority, budget, implementation path, and economic assumptions.
3. The recordExplain it
Who gained, paid, or was left unaffected?
Show direct effects, trade-offs, observed indicators, and the limits of what the evidence can prove.
Historical policy record · United States
Promises can be checked against reality.
Polskan compares the original claim with the law that passed, then separates direct policy effects from broader economic outcomes that have many causes.
How we label evidence →2016 CAMPAIGN PROMISE → 2017 LAW
Corporate tax-rate cut
US
U.S. businesses & taxpayersHistorical policy record
Partially enactedWhat changed
The campaign proposed a 15% business rate. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set the corporate rate at 21%—a major reduction, but not the promised rate.
EvidenceCampaign source · enacted law · outcome research
Manual impact demonstration
A result can be useful
without a fake dollar amount.
This is the first Polskan-style household assessment: a real policy record, a defined U.S. household segment, visible inputs, and a conclusion limited to what the evidence supports.
See the evidence standard →HOUSEHOLD IMPACT · HISTORICAL EXAMPLE
Health-coverage access
US
Uninsured adult, age 26–64Income, state, employer coverage, and timing matter
Material access impactWhat Polskan can responsibly say
The ACA expanded pathways to coverage. A federal analysis estimated 20 million adults gained coverage by early 2016. This household may have had a material access impact.
What Polskan will not invent
A personal premium or savings figure without the household’s state, income, eligibility, plan, and coverage history.
Result typeEligibility / access · not a dollar estimate
What the historical record shows
Not a scorecard.
A traceable record.
FACT
What became law
The 2017 tax law changed corporate and individual tax rules. The corporate rate was reduced from 35% to 21%.
OBSERVED / ESTIMATE
Who received the change
Research found after-tax incomes increased, with larger gains concentrated among more affluent households.
LIMITED CAUSAL CLAIM
What the economy did
GDP and median-wage effects appear modest in the research; later outcomes cannot be assigned to one law alone.
Sources: 2016 campaign speech · Tax Cuts and Jobs Act · 2024 outcome review
Historical policy record · United States
Meeting one outcome does not prove every claim.
Polskan records the promise in its own words, then tests each measurable part against enacted policy and observed data. A coverage result is not automatically a verdict on cost, quality, or the whole economy.
Why the distinction matters →2008 CAMPAIGN PROMISE → 2010 LAW
Affordable coverage
US
Non-elderly U.S. adultsHistorical policy record
Coverage expandedWhat changed
The Obama campaign promised to cut costs and cover everyone. The Affordable Care Act became law; a federal review estimated 20 million adults gained coverage by early 2016.
EvidenceCampaign source · enacted law · coverage estimate
What the historical record shows
One claim.
Several tests.
FACT
What became law
The Affordable Care Act became federal law in 2010 and created coverage, market-reform, and subsidy provisions.
OBSERVED / ESTIMATE
What changed for coverage
A federal analysis estimated 20 million adults gained coverage by early 2016; the non-elderly adult uninsured rate fell from 20.3% to 11.5%.
NOT PROVEN BY THIS METRIC
What remains separate
Coverage data alone cannot establish whether health-care costs fell for every family or judge every economic effect of the policy.
Sources: 2008 campaign release · Affordable Care Act · federal coverage analysis
How Polskan works
Follow the chain.
Judge the answer.
01
What happened?
We identify whether it is a promise, proposal, introduced bill, law, regulation, or actual outcome.
02
Who could it touch?
We trace the rule involved, the affected groups, and the impact type—financial, access, or directional.
03
How certain is it?
Every analysis labels fact, estimate, forecast, hypothesis, and opinion so you can judge the evidence yourself.
Polskan+
Government changes.
Your signal.
Save your household profile and get a heads-up when a policy could materially affect you.