ABSTRACT
This introduction summarizes the book’s basic approach to policy analysis. It defines policy analysis as the systematic comparison of alternative options to address a policy problem, as evidence-based advice giving. Two premises motivate the book: the development and analysis of public policy should be logical and to the extent possible based on evidence, and policy analysis is open to, and benefits from, multiple scholarly fields and should not be limited to the perspectives and methods of a single discipline. The introduction distinguishes the book’s approach to policy analysis from that of other texts on policy analysis, and presents an overview of the book’s chapters. The introduction and describes the book’s website and concludes with a summary of two case studies that the book uses to illustrate key aspects of policy analysis. The case studies involve child support debt and electoral participation. The website contains “data packs” on several issues to help students develop their skills in policy analysis.
