The World of the Policy Analyst
Rationality, Values, & Politics
- Robert A. Heineman - Alfred University, USA
- William T. Bluhm - University of Rochester, USA
- Steven A. Peterson - Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
- Edward N. Kearny - Western Kentucky University, USA
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.
This book provides a valuable historical account of the development of policy analysis as a field. Its chapter on rationality and decision-making is particularly useful for social policy students just coming into policy analysis. The book has been recommended for supplementary reading, rather than recommended, only because it is based on the American context. That said, the book is replete with concepts and useful illustrations that will surely provide students the opportunity to transfer their learnings to the European context.
Sage College Publishing
