Practical Guide For Policy Analysis

Book Description :

In the Fifth Edition of A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, Eugene Bardach and new co-author Eric Patashnik draw on more than 40 years of experience teaching students to be effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts. This bestselling handbook presents dozens of concrete tips, interesting case studies, and step-by-step strategies that are easily applicable for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional. In this new edition, Bardach and Patashnik update many examples to reflect the shifting landscape of policy issues. A new section with advice on how to undertake policy design in addition to making policy choices makes the book even more engaging. Readers will also appreciate a sample document of real world policy analysis, suggestions for developing creative, "out-of-the-box" solutions, and tips for working with clients.

Book Description :

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.

Book Description :

The author presents concrete tips, case studies, and step-by-step methods for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional. He pays particular attention to "design problems" and the choice of a "base case". The book includes: up-to-date examples; a new set of environmental problems; a sample document of real-world policy analysis; a primer in how to "talk the talk" of policy analysis; and, a cheat sheet of how-to’s for solving a host of policy problems.

Book Description :

Trade flows and trade policies need to be properly quantified to describe, compare, or follow the evolution of policies between sectors or countries or over time. This is essential to ensure that policy choices are made with an appropriate knowledge of the real conditions. This practical guide introduces the main techniques of trade and trade policy data analysis. It shows how to develop the main indexes used to analyze trade flows, tariff structures, and non-tariff measures. It presents the databases needed to construct these indexes as well as the challenges faced in collecting and processing these data, such as measurement errors or aggregation bias. Written by experts with practical experience in the field, A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis has been developed to contribute to enhance developing countries' capacity to analyze and implement trade policy. It offers a hands-on introduction on how to estimate the distributional effects of trade policies on welfare, in particular on inequality and poverty. The guide is aimed at government experts engaged in trade negotiations, as well as students and researchers involved in trade-related study or research. An accompanying DVD contains data sets and program command files required for the exercises. Copublished by the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Book Description :

This textbook offers a fresh approach to the study of comparative politics and public policy. Instead of concentrating on why countries differ, Learning From Comparative Public Policy explores how countries can learn from each other about the success and failure of policy initiatives. With its theory and practice focus, the lively narrative analyzes the cultural and resources problems involved in importing policies, and the roles of institutions, regulators, think tanks and experts. In addition to explaining the key tenets of policy analysis, the internationally renowned author offers a wide variety of international case studies and useful boxes to highlight examples. Invaluable reading for students of public policy, for policy makers and practitioners working in the public sector, it includes: * learning from comparison * defining a problem and creating awareness * where to look for lessons * applying the policy model * the problems of importing models * using terms to evaluate future consequences.

Book Description :

Over the last twenty or so years, it has become standard to require policy makers to base their recommendations on evidence. That is now uncontroversial to the point of triviality--of course, policy should be based on the facts. But are the methods that policy makers rely on to gather and analyze evidence the right ones? In Evidence-Based Policy, Nancy Cartwright, an eminent scholar, and Jeremy Hardie, who has had a long and successful career in both business and the economy, explain that the dominant methods which are in use now--broadly speaking, methods that imitate standard practices in medicine like randomized control trials--do not work. They fail, Cartwright and Hardie contend, because they do not enhance our ability to predict if policies will be effective. The prevailing methods fall short not just because social science, which operates within the domain of real-world politics and deals with people, differs so much from the natural science milieu of the lab. Rather, there are principled reasons why the advice for crafting and implementing policy now on offer will lead to bad results. Current guides in use tend to rank scientific methods according to the degree of trustworthiness of the evidence they produce. That is valuable in certain respects, but such approaches offer little advice about how to think about putting such evidence to use. Evidence-Based Policy focuses on showing policymakers how to effectively use evidence, explaining what types of information are most necessary for making reliable policy, and offers lessons on how to organize that information.

Book Description :

Rebooting Policy Analysis: Strengthening the Foundation, Expanding the Scope is a savvy introduction to policy analysis that gets students thinking, not just about how decisions should be made, but how they are made. The text highlights practical skills needed to advise decision-makers on matters of public policy in ways that are well-informed and solutions-oriented, while managing limitations like time, resources, and information. In a world that has become increasingly complex and partisan, the strength of policy analysis rests not only in its classical academic methods, but on the development of a practical, analytic mindset.

Book Description :

Now in its second edition, this manual prepares students for careers in public policy development by exploring both the factors involved in recognizing and resolving public problems and the dynamics that affect the development process. Siu presents six principles for developing good policy and outlines the various approaches used to determine issues, conduct research, formulate policy options and recommendations, and derive intelligent decisions. Developing Public Policy connects the abstract idea of policy with the practical reality of creating it, providing the reader with the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to navigate the complexities of policy development in Canada. Thoroughly updated, this second edition details newly developed policy topics and areas, including a new chapter on post-policy considerations and more than double the amount of exercises to practice policy writing and consultations. Featuring questions for critical thought and real-life case examples grounded in the author’s experience as a civil servant, Developing Public Policy is an essential guide for students of public policy, public administration, political science, health policy, and human rights and equity.

Book Description :

Known for encouraging step-by-step problem solving and for connecting techniques to real-world scenarios, David Ammons’ Tools for Decision Making covers a wide range of local government practices—from the foundational to the advanced. Brief and readable, each chapter opens with a problem in a hypothetical city and then introduces a tool to address it. Thoroughly updated with new local government examples, the second edition also incorporates chapters devoted to such additional techniques as sampling analysis, sensitivity analysis, financial condition analysis, and forecasting via trend analysis. Numerous tables, figures, exhibits, equations, and worksheets walk readers through the application of tools, and boxed features throughout each chapter present other uses for techniques, helpful online resources, and common errors. A handy guide for students and an invaluable resource and reference for practitioners.

Book Description :

R for Political Data Science: A Practical Guide is a handbook for political scientists new to R who want to learn the most useful and common ways to interpret and analyze political data. It was written by political scientists, thinking about the many real-world problems faced in their work. The book has 16 chapters and is organized in three sections. The first, on the use of R, is for those users who are learning R or are migrating from another software. The second section, on econometric models, covers OLS, binary and survival models, panel data, and causal inference. The third section is a data science toolbox of some the most useful tools in the discipline: data imputation, fuzzy merge of large datasets, web mining, quantitative text analysis, network analysis, mapping, spatial cluster analysis, and principal component analysis. Key features: Each chapter has the most up-to-date and simple option available for each task, assuming minimal prerequisites and no previous experience in R Makes extensive use of the Tidyverse, the group of packages that has revolutionized the use of R Provides a step-by-step guide that you can replicate using your own data Includes exercises in every chapter for course use or self-study Focuses on practical-based approaches to statistical inference rather than mathematical formulae Supplemented by an R package, including all data As the title suggests, this book is highly applied in nature, and is designed as a toolbox for the reader. It can be used in methods and data science courses, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It will be equally useful for a university student pursuing a PhD, political consultants, or a public official, all of whom need to transform their datasets into substantive and easily interpretable conclusions.

Book Description :

Public policy making -- Communication in the process -- Definition : frame the problem -- Legislative history : know the record -- Position paper : know the arguments -- Petitions and proposals : request action or propose policy -- Briefing memo or opinion statement : inform policy makers -- Testimony : witness in a public hearing -- Written public comment : influence administration -- Continuity and change.

Book Description :

The Public Servant's Guide to Government in Canada is a concise primer on the inner workings of government in Canada. This is a go-to resource for students, for early career public servants, and for anyone who wants to know more about how government works. Grounded in experience, the book connects core concepts in political science and public administration to the real-world practice of working in the public service. The authors provide valuable insights into the messy realities of governing and the art of diplomacy, as well as best practices for climbing the career ladder.

Book Description :

A Practical Guide to Instrumental Analysis covers basic methods of instrumental analysis, including electroanalytical techniques, optical techniques, atomic spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermoanalytical techniques, separation techniques, and flow analytical techniques. Each chapter provides a brief theoretical introduction followed by basic and special application experiments. This book is ideal for readers who need a knowledge of special techniques in order to use instrumental methods to conduct their own analytical tasks.

Book Description :

This book offers a practical guide for policy advisors and their managers, grounded in the author’s extensive experience as a senior policy practitioner in central and local government. Effective policy advising does not proceed in ‘cycles’ or neatly ordered ‘stages’ and ‘steps’, but is first and foremost a relationship built on careful listening, knowing one’s place in the constitutional scheme of things, becoming useful and winning the confidence of decision makers. The author introduces readers to a public value approach to policy advising that uses collective thinking to address complex policy problems; evidence-informed policy analysis that factors in emotions and values; and the practice of ‘gifting and gaining’ (rather than ‘trade-offs’) in collaborative governing for the long term. Theory is balanced with practical illustration and processes, tools and techniques, helping readers master the art of communicating what decision-makers need to hear, as well as what they want to hear.

Book Description :

A guidebook describing a method for achieving effective policy analysis for solving problems.

Book Description :

Online student resource material cab be accessed under the 'Support Materials' tab at https://www.routledge.com/9780367207939 Doing Academic Research is a concise, accessible, and tightly organized overview of the research process in the humanities, social sciences, and business. Conducting effective scholarly research can seem like a frustrating, confusing, and unpleasant experience. Early researchers often have inconsistent knowledge and experience, and can become overwhelmed – reducing their ability to produce high quality work. Rather than a book about research, this is a practical guide to doing research. It guides budding researchers along the process of developing an effective workflow, where to go for help, and how to actually complete the project. The book addresses diversity in abilities, interest, discipline, and ways of knowing by focusing not just on the process of conducting any one method in detail, but also on the ways in which someone might choose a research method and conduct it successfully. Finally, it emphasizes accessibility and approachability through real-world examples, key insights, tips, and tricks from active researchers. This book is a highly useful addition to both content area courses and research methods courses, as well as a practical guide for graduate students and independent scholars interested in publishing their research.

Book Description :

Policymaking is of its very nature a people-centered business-a good reason why highly effective policy analysts display not only superb technical expertise but excellent people skills as well. Those "people skills" include the ability to manage professional relationships, to learn from others about policy issues, to give presentations, to work in teams, to resolve conflict, to write for multiple audiences, and to engage in professional networking. Training programs for policy analysts often focus on technical skills. By working to enhance their people skills, policy analysts can increase their ability to produce technical work that changes minds. Fortunately, this unique book fills the gaps in such programs by covering the "people side" of policy analysis. Beyond explaining why people skills matter, this book provides practical, easy-to-follow advice on how policy analysts can develop and use their people skills. Each chapter provides a Skill Building Checklist, discussion ideas, and suggestions for further reading. People Skills is essential reading for anyone engaged in public policymaking and public affairs as well as all policy analysts. Completely changing how we think about what it means to be an effective policy analyst, People Skills for Policy Analysts provides straightforward advice for students of policy analysis and public management as well as practitioners just starting their professional lives.

Book Description :

Inspired by the author's need for practical guidance in the processes of data analysis, A Practical Guide to Scientific Data Analysis has been written as a statistical companion for the working scientist. This handbook of data analysis with worked examples focuses on the application of mathematical and statistical techniques and the interpretation of their results. Covering the most common statistical methods for examining and exploring relationships in data, the text includes extensive examples from a variety of scientific disciplines. The chapters are organised logically, from planning an experiment, through examining and displaying the data, to constructing quantitative models. Each chapter is intended to stand alone so that casual users can refer to the section that is most appropriate to their problem. Written by a highly qualified and internationally respected author this text: Presents statistics for the non-statistician Explains a variety of methods to extract information from data Describes the application of statistical methods to the design of “performance chemicals” Emphasises the application of statistical techniques and the interpretation of their results Of practical use to chemists, biochemists, pharmacists, biologists and researchers from many other scientific disciplines in both industry and academia.

Book Description :

Download Beyond Policy Analysis book written by Leslie Alexander Pal, available in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle, or read full book online anywhere and anytime. Compatible with any devices.

Book Description :

This thoroughly revised edition of the best-selling resource A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment offers a practical and comprehensive guide for practitioners who are responsible for Introducing a training program Creating adult education programs Assessing the development needs of a workforce Improving individual, group, organization or interorganizational performance in the workplace Implementing community, national, or international development interventions Designed as a resource for practitioners, this book is filled with how-to information, tips, and case studies. It shows how to use data-based needs assessments to frame people-related problems and performance, improvement opportunities to obtain support from those who are affected by the changes, make effective decision, and increase efficiency.