Policy Analysis: An Examination of Recent Textbooks

Policy analysis is one of the most frequently used buzz terms in public administration and political science. A recent spate of textbooks indicates that a substantial segment of the MPA curriculum is devoted to the study of policy analysis. In this essay, we will examine the concept and practice of policy analysis as defined by its various proponents. How do the authors whose work we scrutinize define the term? For Duncan MacRae and James Wilde, “policy analysis is the use of reason and evidence to choose the best policy among a number of alternatives.” This definition closely resembles that of Edith Stokey and Richard Zeckhauser, who are concerned with “The advantages and disadvantages of each course of action.”