Role of Policy Analysts and Their Environment
Some people believe that governance at both the national and state levels has been corrosively influenced by the modern divisive partisan environment. The public policy analyst’s role of information-collecting and data analysis may be impacted by the strains and divisiveness of partisanship. This can occur at both the federal and state levels. However, fractious partisanship is hardly a modern phenomenon, having existed in various forms throughout the nation’s history. Simply put, partisan politics has always played a role in how the policy analyst performs his or her job and frames analyses.
What is the role of the policy analyst in the contemporary political environment? How do public policy analysts, to the best extent possible, provide objective, practical, and pragmatic advice to decision-makers who work in an intensely partisan environment? To what extent should public policy analysts be involved in the rancorous political debates that often consume Washington? You consider these questions as you engage in this week’s Discussion.
Explore the impact of a range of stakeholders upon the policy analysis process. Specifically, reflect upon the role of the policy analyst in an age of instant communication, political gridlock, and lobbying interests. Integrate any firsthand knowledge you may have about how objective analyses can be produced in the current political setting.
The Assignment Must be at least 1 page and include:
1. An explanation of the role of public policy analysts in a politically divisive environment—that is, what they do and what they bring to the process.
You must use the class resources for this assignment and cite them in the text.
I will provide the pages for Bardach & Patashnik (2016), but you must have access to Anderson (2016)
Anderson, J. E. (2015).
Public policymaking: An introduction (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
- Chapter 2, “The Policy-Makers and Their Environment” (pp. 61–72)
- Chapter 3, “Policy Formation: Problems, Agendas, and Formulation” (pp. 87–89)
Bardach, E., Patashnik, E. M. (2016).
A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.
- Part I, “The Eightfold Path”
- “Step Three: Construct the Alternatives” (pp. 18-27)