Analyzing Policy- Choices,Conflicts,& Practice by Munger,Michael C.. [2000] Paperback

The New Institutionalism in American Politics

by Michael C. Munger

Analyzing Policy- Choices,Conflicts,& Practice by Munger,Michael C.. [2000] Paperback

Genres: Politics, Public Policy, Economics, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to read. I feel I learned very little from this book during my masters class on public policy.

[Gretchen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an awful book for a masters in public policy course. It was difficult to read and the whole class learned very little from it. The problems at the end of each chapter were confusingly worded.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often, I have taught graduate (and even undergraduate) courses in policy analysis. While I have never assigned this book, it is commonly on my "short list" of possible texts. Thus, I obviously think that this book does its job well.

Michael Munger begins by laying out the questions that policy analysis tries to answer (Page xi): "First, what would be the best thing to do? Second, what is the best result that can actually be achieved?" He notes that this book tries to address those two central questions. He also observes that humans have only, in his view, a limited number of options for organizing human activity--including policy decisions: the market, leadership by authority (whether due to knowledge, power, repression, etc.), and democracy (somehow the people, whether directly or indirectly, affect government decisions). A bit simplistic in my view, but not a bad starting point.

The book explores a number of key issues. At the outset he discusses the nature of the profession of policy analysis, how we decide, and the role of markets. For many policy analysts, economic analysis, focusing on the market and whether or not it can deliver services on its own. When markets fail, so gores the logic, government steps in to set things right (e.g., if a monopoly abuses its powerful position). Also considered is how regulation does (and sometimes does not) work. One nice contribution is a reasonably transparent and understandable discussion of a basic tool of policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis.

Anyhow, this is a useful textbook. It can also be a nice resource for those who are not students, but who have some knowledge of the subject matter and an interest in gaining a more in depth understanding of the approach.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Munger outlines the language used in and the tools for analyzing organizational policy. Decision-making in any political environment always depends on a range of criteria. This idea is demonstrated in his introduction of a CAM Analysis (Criteria-Alternatives Matrix), a decision-making table that takes data and allows a policy/management analyst to rate each of 3 or four alternatives based on particular criteria. This analysis does not make the decision, but can give administration an accurate view of the risks associated with unfulfilled criteria.