"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."
Analysis of existing policies and the data-driven development of new policies.
Public Policy Concepts: This topic includes fundamental concepts such as the definition of public policy, its components, relevance and implementation, and its role in society.
Policy Analysis Techniques: It is the systematic process of collecting, evaluating, and analyzing existing policy, as well as developing new policy, which would impact people's welfare.
Public Policy Cycle: It is the continuous process of creating, implementing, and evaluating public policy, including the stages of agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption and implementation, as well as policy evaluation.
Policy Evaluation: The process of assessing whether the aims or objectives of the policy have been achieved.
Policy Implementation: The process of executing the policy once it has been created and adopted, including the challenges and the strategies to reduce implementation gaps.
Policy Design: Determining the different policy alternatives, prospective outcomes case scenarios or by forecasting a future setting.
Stakeholder Analysis: Identifying the concerns, needs, and interests of those who are involved when policies are adopted.
Ethics in Public Policy: It examines the ethical context and the consequences of public policy choices.
Policy Communication: The process by which policy actors inform, educate, persuade and/or influence stakeholders through both formal and informal channels.
Public Budgeting: The process of allocating public resources to implement policy objectives through the budgeting process.
Public Administration and Governance: The development and implementation of administrative policies, organizational structure, and process governed by the legislation.
Political Analysis and Context: Understanding the role of politics in shaping policy development and implementation.
Policy Advocacy: The process of identifying and promoting the interests of stakeholders, including developing persuasion-based communication strategies.
Comparative Analysis: The comparison of policy approaches in different countries, regions, and levels of governance.
Evidence-Based Policy: The use of empirically based methods and data to inform and evaluate policy choices.
Global Governance: It is the implementation and coordination of public policies by various international organizations across countries.
Program Evaluation: The evaluation of program effectiveness in meeting desired public policy objectives.
Regulatory Policy: The use of regulations and rules to implement and enforce policy objectives.
Environmental and sustainability policies: Policies centered on mitigating the negative effects of human activities on the environment.
Social Policy: Policies that are designed to address social issues, such as health care, education, and income distribution.
International Development: Policies geared towards addressing inequalities between developed and developing nations.
Security Policy: The policies that serve to protect a country and its citizens from external threats.
Cybersecurity Policy: Cybersecurity policies are designed to protect computer networks from external threats.
Health Policy: Policy concerned with addressing health challenges including pandemic preparedness and response.
Energy Policy: Policies that address the production, consumption, and efficiency of energy in society.
Education Policy: Policies concerned with the provision of learning opportunities and education systems to fulfill the country's educational needs.
Cultural Policy: Policies that center on the promotion and protection of cultural heritage, arts and historic sites.
Cost-benefit analysis: This approach attempts to determine whether the benefits of a policy outweigh its costs.
Comparative analysis: This approach involves comparing policies across different contexts or situations to identify best practices.
Stakeholder analysis: This approach seeks to identify the various stakeholders affected by a policy and assess their interests and influences.
Content analysis: This approach involves systematically reviewing and analyzing policy documents and related materials to identify key themes and trends.
Institutional analysis: This approach focuses on the organizations and institutions involved in policy development and implementation. It examines the roles, power relations, and decision-making processes within these institutions.
Game theory: This approach uses mathematical models to analyze the strategic interactions of different actors in the policy-making process.
Program evaluation: This approach is used to assess the effectiveness of a policy by examining its outcomes and impacts over time.
Discourse analysis: This approach examines the language and narratives used to frame and justify policies, with a focus on identifying underlying values and assumptions.
Network analysis: This approach focuses on the relationships and networks among actors involved in policy-making, with a focus on understanding the patterns of communication and influence.
Implementation analysis: This approach examines the challenges and processes involved in implementing policies on the ground, with a view to improving their effectiveness and efficiency.
"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."