"Policy analysis or public policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science to enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected officials."
This topic involves the study of how public policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated.
Public Policy: This refers to the decisions and actions of government bodies concerning issues affecting society. It involves defining problems, identifying goals, and designing strategies to address them.
Public Administration: This refers to the management of public sector organizations responsible for implementing public policy. It involves a range of activities, such as planning, organizing, and controlling resources.
Policy Analysis: This refers to the process of evaluating policies to determine their effectiveness and efficiency. It involves examining the costs and benefits of different policy options and predicting their outcomes.
Program Evaluation: This refers to the assessment of programs and policies to determine their impact. It involves identifying the program's goals, measuring its outcomes, and assessing its overall effectiveness.
Policy Implementation: This refers to the process of putting policies into action. It involves allocating resources, developing procedures, and monitoring progress to ensure that the policy achieves its intended goals.
Policy Advocacy: This refers to efforts to influence public policy decisions. It involves gathering and presenting evidence, building coalitions, and engaging in communication and negotiation with policymakers.
Institutional Analysis: This refers to the examination of the organizational structures and rules that shape public policy. It involves looking at the roles and responsibilities of different institutions and how power is distributed within them.
Political Economy: This refers to the way in which economic and political factors interact to shape public policy. It involves considering the distribution of power, resources, and wealth, as well as the impact of these factors on social outcomes.
Systems Theory: This refers to the study of complex systems and how they operate. It involves considering the interactions between different components of public policy, such as institutions, stakeholders, and environmental factors.
Intergovernmental Relations: This refers to the relationships between different levels of government, such as federal, state, and local. It involves examining the roles and responsibilities of each level of government and how they work together to implement public policy.
Rational Policy Analysis: This involves the use of scientific methods to find optimal solutions to policy problems.
Incrementalism: This type of policy analysis involves making small, incremental changes to existing policies rather than a comprehensive overhaul of a policy.
Advocacy Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis is used by interest groups and other stakeholders to advocate for certain policies.
Comparative Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis compares the policy approaches of different countries and regions.
Historical Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines past policies to identify lessons for current policies.
Game Theory Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis is used to analyze decision-making in situations where multiple actors have conflicting interests.
Participatory Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis involves engaging stakeholders and the public in policy-making processes.
Qualitative Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis involves analyzing policy issues using qualitative research methods, such as interviews and case studies.
Quantitative Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis involves analyzing policy issues using quantitative research methods, such as statistical analysis.
Social Network Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis involves analyzing the networks of actors involved in policy-making processes.
Cultural Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines policies related to the arts and cultural industries.
Environmental Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines policies related to environmental issues.
Economic Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines policies related to economic issues.
Health Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines policies related to healthcare and public health issues.
Education Policy Analysis: This type of policy analysis examines policies related to education and schooling.
"People who regularly use policy analysis skills and techniques on the job, particularly those who use it as a major part of their job duties, are generally known by the title Policy Analyst."
"The process is also used in the administration of large organizations with complex policies."
"It has been defined as the process of 'determining which of various policies will achieve a given set of goals in light of the relations between the policies and the goals.'"
"Policy analysis can be divided into two major fields: analysis of existing policy and analysis for new policy."
"Analysis of existing policy is analytical and descriptive - it attempts to explain policies and their development."
"Analysis for new policy is prescriptive - it is involved with formulating policies and proposals."
"One definition states that policy analysis is the process of identifying potential policy options that could address your problem and then comparing those options to choose the most effective, efficient, and feasible one."
"The areas of interest and the purpose of analysis determine what types of analysis are conducted."
"Policy analysis is frequently deployed in the public sector."
"Policy analysis is equally applicable elsewhere, such as nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations."
"Policy analysis has its roots in systems analysis, an approach used by United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the 1960s."