ABSTRACT
Policy analysis involves using quantitative and/or qualitative techniques to defi ne a policy problem, demonstrate its impacts, and present potential solutions. It often requires sophisticated methods to assess how identifi ed policy problems are impacted by numerous variables, including both policy interventions and contextual factors. Quantitative methods help demonstrate whether a relationship exists between policy designs and policy outcomes, test whether the relationship can be generalized to similar settings, evaluate magnitudes of the effects of policies on social, economic, and political factors, and fi nd better policy alternatives. The use of such methods is part of the scientifi c expertise with which policy analysts claim their relevance. Techniques such as modeling, quantifi cation of inputs and outputs, descriptive statistics, statistical inference, operations research, cost-benefi t analysis, and risk-benefi t analysis are frequently used in policy studies.
