Drawing on more than 40 years of experience with policy analysis, best-selling authors Eugene Bardach and Eric M. Patashnik use real-world examples to teach you how to be effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts. The Sixth Edition of A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis presents dozens of concrete tips, new case studies, and step-by-step strategies for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional.

Table of Contents:
PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHORS INTRODUCTION PART I THE EIGHTFOLD PATH STEP ONE: DEFINE THE PROBLEM STEP TWO: ASSEMBLE SOME EVIDENCE STEP THREE: CONSTRUCT THE ALTERNATIVES STEP FOUR: SELECT THE CRITERIA STEP FIVE: PROJECT THE OUTCOMES STEP SIX: CONFRONT THE TRADE-OFFS STEP SEVEN: STOP, FOCUS, NARROW, DEEPEN, DECIDE! STEP EIGHT: TELL YOUR STORY PART II ASSEMBLING EVIDENCE GETTING STARTED LOCATING RELEVANT SOURCES GAINING ACCESS AND ENGAGING ASSISTANCE CONDUCTING A POLICY RESEARCH INTERVIEW USING LANGUAGE TO CHARACTERIZE AND CALIBRATE PROTECTING CREDIBILITY STRATEGIC DILEMMAS OF POLICY RESEARCH PART III HANDLING A DESIGN PROBLEM IT’S A PRODUCTION SYSTEM CROSSWALKS FROM THE EIGHTFOLD PATH TO “SYSTEMS OF ACTION” DEFINE THE PROBLEM ? FOCUS ON A PRIMARY OUTCOME CONSTRUCT THE ALTERNATIVES ? CONFIGURE THE SYSTEM’S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ITS OPERATING PROCESSES SELECT THE CRITERIA ? DEFINE THE OBJECTIVES TO BE ACHIEVED PROJECT THE OUTCOMES ? TEST WHETHER IT WILL WORK CONFRONT THE TRADE-OFFS ? EXAMINE THE SYSTEM FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES DESIGN A TRANSITION STRATEGY PART IV “SMART (BEST) PRACTICES” RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING AND MAKING USE OF WHAT LOOK LIKE GOOD IDEAS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE DEVELOP REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ANALYZE SMART PRACTICES OBSERVE THE PRACTICE DESCRIBE GENERIC VULNERABILITIES BUT WILL IT WORK HERE? BACK TO THE EIGHTFOLD PATH APPENDIX A THINGS GOVERNMENTS DO I. TAXES II. REGULATION III. SUBSIDIES AND GRANTS IV. SERVICE PROVISION V. AGENCY BUDGETS VI. INFORMATION VII. THE STRUCTURE OF PRIVATE RIGHTS VIII. THE FRAMEWORK OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IX. EDUCATION AND CONSULTATION X. FINANCING AND CONTRACTING XI. BUREAUCRATIC AND POLITICAL REFORMS APPENDIX B UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS: ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS MISSION ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTION/DELIVERY PROCESSES FRONTLINE WORKERS AND CO-PRODUCERS PARTNERS AND OTHER OUTSIDERS CENTRALIZATION/DECENTRALIZATION CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS POLITICS LEADERSHIP CHANGE APPENDIX C STRATEGIC ADVICE ON THE DYNAMICS OF GATHERING POLITICAL SUPPORT SEQUENCING TIMING APPENDIX D TIPS FOR WORKING WITH CLIENTS APPENDIX E SUGGESTIONS FOR INCORPORATING “BIG DATA” AND RIGOROUS SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE INTO POLICY ANALYSIS WHERE TO BEGIN KNOW YOUR DATA USE ADMINISTRATIVE DATA AND EXPERIMENTS TO INFORM PROBLEM DEFINITION EXPAND YOUR OPTION SET AND SEE CONSTRAINTS AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES USE DATA VISUALIZATION TO TELL YOUR STORY REFERENCES INDEX