How public policy analysis meets urban experience

Public policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science to enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate available options for implementing the goals of laws and elected officials; it has been defined as the process of "determining which of various policies will achieve a given set of goals in light of the relations between the policies and the goals."

2 articles, 1 video, 1 book · about 32 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   public policy analysis · Wikipedia · 18 min read

   Public policy analysis can follow a heuristic model called the policy cycle. It starts by identifying a problem, examines policy tools to respond, puts one or more policies into practice, and evaluates them after they have run for a certain period. Public policy analysis uses qualitative research, including case studies and interviews with community members. Rapid evaluation and assessment methods in public policy analysis can be used when a policy cycle is short. In international development, they are often used to assess the impact of aid policies in response to natural disasters.

2. Read
   

   What is Policy Relevance? · War on the Rocks · 8 min read

   Public debate in public policy analysis can be shaped by academic writing that sets the agenda, even when it is not designed to influence short-term public policy activities. This writing can affect how policymakers think about essential issues and evaluate the world when making decisions, without explicitly guiding particular choices.

3. Watch
   

   Introduction to the public policy process | US government and civics | Khan Academy · YouTube · 6 min watch

   This Khan Academy video introduces the public policy process in the United States.

4. Book
   

   The Death and Life of Great American Cities · Bookshop.org

   The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs critiques 1950s urban planning policy, which Jacobs argues contributed to the decline of many U.S. city neighborhoods, and argues that planning should prioritize residents' needs and experiences.

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