ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the Zen, the philosophy that underlies substantively weighted analytical techniques (SWAT) as a set of analytical techniques. SWAT takes a counterintuitive and untraditional approach to the treatment of atypical cases in the data. The chapter seeks to take the typical results of linear analysis and apply systematic qualitative techniques in a creative manner. SWAT is an analytical approach unabashedly designed for the sciences of the artificial. Linear modeling techniques form the core of both policy analysis and the social sciences in general. Looking at heterogeneity is often a good thing to do whether or not one is interested in prescription. SWAT is not a technique for estimating parameters but rather a qualitative exploratory and prescriptive procedure for isolating performance. The use of SWAT should be governed by two rules, one normative and one empirical. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
