Public Policy Praxis--Theory and Pragmatism A Case Approach

PREFACE When we wrotePublic Policy Praxiswe were guided by several underlying principles. We believed that the book must be all of the following: practical as well as theoretical useful as well as cutting edge fun as well as thorough focused on the great issues and big themes as well as on specific techniques about the politics of the policy process as well as how to do policy analysis both readable and teachable Although our book targets future and current professional policy analysts, anyone who wants to understand and affect public policy (e.g., elected officials, citizen activists, interest group leaders, public administrators) must be a policy analyst. The genesis of this book was a discussion we had about policy cases. Although both of us believe in and utilize case studies, they are often too technical and fail to capture the essence of politics. They seldom require the application of the techniques the chapters introduce, or make clear the relationship of the concepts and theories covered in the chapters to what the students are to do with the cases. We complained that we had increasingly found ourselves writing our own cases. Moreover, the policy analysis texts available gave short shrift to politics, democracy, and how policy is made. We both believe that knowledge is as important as skills. So we were supplementing our cases with reserve readings, and writing lectures concerning politics, power, democracy, and the social construction of problems as well as policies. So we decided to write a case book with self-contained cases--that is, each case would be preceded by a discussion of a major topic. Students would complete the case--using the information, learning the material, and recognizing the importance of theory by doing. As it turned out, the self-contained case write-ups became full-scale chapters. The result is a public policy analysis book that we hope helps move the teaching of policy analysis in a direction that is more democratic--but ultimately practical. Our book is, essentially, a postpositivist view of social construction. Gone is the hegemonic, sometimes almost exclusive, emphasis on rational decision-making models. Instead the balance is tipped toward discussions of value conflict, power, political systems, democracy, subjectivity, and ambiguity. We think of policy analysis as requiring a combination of knowledge and skills. As in our classrooms, we teach "how to" but also teach the limitations, practical political problems, and ethical implications of different techniques and methodologies. Policy analysis is larger than, and often encompasses, program evaluation or productivity measurement. Our definition of policy analysis includes the initiation of policy as well as the review of or implementation of policy. Whatever the level of analysis, ultimately the goal usually is to establish a bottom line that facilitates decision making. This often leads to a focus on technical efficiency, cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and other efforts such as output measures, per unit cost estimates, client satisfaction surveys, statistical testing, and decision trees. Originally, policy analysis was seen as a way to assist democratic decision making. Somehow, along the way, policy analysis became part of elite and expert decision making. The theory and knowledge of politics, power structures, and the subjective human construction of public problem definitions was lost in a forest of rational decision models, complicated mathematical and analytical tools, microeconomics, and other scientific techniques. Yet good policy analysis requires investigation into the major actors and their roles, the political context (including economic conditions, social conditions, dominant values and beliefs), and the goals or purposes of the policy (which takes us to the crucial ideas of problem definition, values,Clemons, Randall is the author of 'Public Policy Praxis--Theory and Pragmatism A Case Approach', published 2000 under ISBN 9780130258823 and ISBN 0130258822.