The World Of the Policy Analyst: Rationality, Values, & Politics

by Robert A. Heineman, William T. Bluhm, Steven A. Peterson

The World of the Policy Analyst offers a detailed study of the policy analyst's role in the policymaking process. By stressing the need of the analyst to recognize the political, social, and ideological forces that operate in the policy process while retaining analytical integrity, the authors bring a "real world" awareness to the understanding of the environment in which analysts must function. This edition covers recent efforts to integrate values and analysis, explores the implications of increasing fragmentation in the political system and the growing influence of think tanks at the national and state levels, and identifies the challenges posed by rapid scientific and technological change.

206 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

Reviews

[Steven Peterson]

This book examines policy analysis by examining the process in terms of the metaphor of the policy analysts' world. Policy analysis is a rational process of decision making; however, it confronts a messy political reality. There are conflicting values, too, as a part of the context of the politics of policy analysis. Indeed, policy analysis itself is based on a set of values. The volume concludes by considering reforms that might make policy analysis more effective. The odds of that happening? I'm not so sure!

[Steven Peterson]

This represents an effort by a four person writing team to examine the world of the policy analyst--with special attention to the dynamic and fluid political context in which policy analysis takes place. In its time, it provided a somewhat different perspective on the subject. The fact that this went into a third edition is pretty cool! That suggests that this book had some legs.