"Policy analysis or public policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science..."
The stages, actors, and associated concepts of policy making.
Public Policy: Study of government action to address social problems and issues faced by the citizens.
Policy Analysis: Evaluation of alternative policies, identification of their outcomes and decision making based on the results.
Decision Making: Process of selecting a course of action from a set of alternatives by considering pros and cons.
Agenda Setting: Identification and prioritization of policy issues by political actors.
Policy Formulation: Process of developing and shaping policy alternatives, design of policy instruments and drafting of legislation.
Policy Implementation: The actual process of carrying out policy decisions by federal, state or local governments.
Evaluation: Critical analysis of the impact and outcomes of policy or program implementation.
Public Opinion: A collection of views of the general public towards any policy or issue.
Interest Groups: Organizations that seek to promote their collective interests and influence public policies.
Power and Politics: The role of individual interests, values and motives in shaping public policy decisions.
Bureaucracy: The role of specialized government agencies in implementing and enforcing public policies.
Globalization: The impact of international organizations, treaties and agreements on national policy making.
Federalism: The distribution of power and authority between national and sub-national governments.
Fiscal Policy: The use of taxes and government spending to influence economic conditions and address social issues.
Regulatory Policy: The use of various government interventions to influence business practices and protect consumers.
Environmental Policy: The measures taken by the government to address environmental crises such as climate change.
Health Policy: Measures taken to improve the overall health of the population and provide healthcare access to citizens.
Education Policy: Measures taken to ensure access to quality education for all citizens.
Social Welfare Policy: Measures taken to address poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
Criminal Justice Policy: Policies and measures taken to address crime and maintain public safety.
Rational-Comprehensive Model: This model assumes that policymakers make decisions by thoroughly evaluating multiple alternatives based on their ability to fulfill specific goals and objectives. It involves several stages, including problem identification, agenda setting, alternative generation, evaluation, choice, implementation, and evaluation.
Incremental Model: This model assumes that policymakers tend to make small and gradual adjustments to existing policies rather than completely revamping them. It often relies on feedback from previous iterations and aims to maintain stability and avoid unintended consequences.
Group Model: This model emphasizes the role of interest groups and their interactions with policymakers in shaping policy decisions. It acknowledges that policymaking involves negotiating different interests, values, and priorities and that groups with more resources, access, and influence may have an advantage.
Elite Model: This model assumes that a small and powerful group of decision-makers or "elites" controls the policy process and determines the outcomes. It often emphasizes the role of economic, social, and political factors in shaping policies and tends to be more skeptical of democratic participation or pluralistic input.
Advocacy Coalition Framework: This model emphasizes the role of policy subsystems or coalitions that represent different values, beliefs, and interests and compete for influence over policy decisions. It assumes that coalitions are more stable and consistent than individual policymakers and that they differ in their views on the causes, solutions, and criteria for success of policy problems.
Multiple Streams Model: This model emphasizes the independent and sometimes random convergence of three policy streams: the problem stream, the policy stream, and the political stream. It suggests that policymakers may only act when these streams align, creating a "windows of opportunity" for policy change.
Punctuated-Equilibrium Model: This model assumes that policymaking tends to be characterized by periods of stability interrupted by crises, shocks, or critical events that trigger significant policy change. It suggests that incremental adjustments may accumulate until a cumulative process makes a radical departure from past patterns.
"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..."
"...to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected officials."
"People who regularly use policy analysis skills and techniques on the job... are generally known by the title Policy Analyst."
"The process is also used in the administration of large organizations with complex policies."
"Policy analysis can be divided into two major fields: - Analysis of existing policy, which is analytical and descriptive... - Analysis for new policy, which is prescriptive..."
"It attempts to explain policies and their development."
"It is involved with formulating policies and proposals (for example: to improve social welfare)."
"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."
"Policy analysis is frequently deployed in the public sector..."
"...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."
"A combination of two kinds of policy analyses together with program evaluation is defined as policy studies."
"The areas of interest and the purpose of analysis determine what types of analysis are conducted."
"...a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science..."
"...nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options..."
"Analysis for new policy is involved with formulating policies and proposals (for example: to improve social welfare)."
"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.'"
"...enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected officials."