ABSTRACT
There are many indications that policy analysis on the local level is more problematic than on the national level: policy analytical capacity is often low within local authorities, and the resources and skills to perform advanced analysis are lacking. This chapter discusses key topics within the research field of policy analysis at the local level. The number of stages and the labels used vary, but at a general level the policy process can be said to include initiation (agenda setting), formulation, decision making (policy adoption), implementation and evaluation. The chapter examines each of these four stages to summarize what current research can talks about local policy analysis. It emphasizes the lack of knowledge about policy analysis on the local level. It has also been reported that public administration-comprising actors performing policy analysis on the local level-seems more sceptical of New Public Management (NPM) than politicians are.
