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University of California Press

Does Policy Analysis Matter?

Exploring Its Effectiveness in Theory and Practice

by Lee S. Friedman (Editor)
Price: $29.95 / £25.00
Publication Date: Mar 2017
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 215
ISBN: 9780520962538
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Illustrations: 8 tables, 9 b/w line art, scat
Series:

About the Book

How well can democratic decision making incorporate the knowledge and expertise generated by public policy analysts? This book examines the historical development of policy analysis, as well as its use in legislative and regulatory bodies and in the federal executive branch. The essays show that policy-analytic expertise effectively improves governmental services only when it complements democratic decision making. When successful, policy analysis fosters valuable new ideas, better use of evidence, and greater transparency in decision processes.

About the Author

Lee S. Friedman is Professor of the Graduate School at the Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. 

Table of Contents

Contributors
List of Figures and Tables
Preface

1. Public Policy Making and Public Policy Analysis
Lee S. Friedman

2. How Effective Is Policy Analysis?
John A. Hird

3. Can Congress Do Policy Analysis? The Politics of Problem Solving on Capitol Hill
Eric M. Patashnik and Justin Peck

4. The Complicated and the Complex: Policy Analysis in an Era of Design
M. Suzanne Donovan

5. Summary and Future Directions
Lee S. Friedman

Index

Reviews

"Recommended."
CHOICE
“This volume deals with an important question for policy scholars, makes an immediate contribution, and has the potential to encourage other policy scholars to take up the challenge.”—Dave Weimer, Edwin E. Witte Professor of Political Economy, University of Wisconsin–Madison