Interpretation in policy analysis: On methods and practice

Abstract Interpretive policy analysis entails the application to studies of public policies of approaches building on ontological and epistemological presuppositions deriving from interpretive philosophies. Its central characteristic is its focus on meaning. Interpretive policy analyses are, then, situation‐specific, rather than entailing general laws or universal principles. They commonly focus on the language used in policy debates, as well as on other human artifacts that convey policy and organizational meanings, such as people's acts and whatever objects they might use in those acts. Interpretive policy analysis is an alternative to survey research, cost‐benefit analysis, and other such approaches.